L  C 

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UC-NRLF 


*B    301    S3M 


iKE  VISITING  TEACHER 

IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 


A  SURVEY  BY  THE 

NATIONAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  VISITING  TEACHERS 

AND 

HOME  AND  SCHOOL  VISITORS 


Published  by  the 

PUSUC  EDUCATION  ASSOCIATION  OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK 

8  West  40th  Street.  New  York  City 


JUNE    1921 


THE  VISITING  TEACHER 

IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 


A  SURVEY  BY  THE 

NATIONAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  VISITING  TEACHERS 

AND 

HOME  AND  SCHOOL  VISITORS 


Published  by  the 

ucation  Association  of  the  City  of  New  York 

8  West  40th  Street,  New  York  City 


JUNE    1921 


"•"  —  .-.-•:•.      .. 


vi5 


CONTENTS 

Introduction    5 

Foreword    7 

I.  How  Visiting  Teacher  Work  Originated  and  Developed 9 

II.  The  Place  of  the  Visiting  Teacher  in  the  School  System.  13 

III.  How  the  Visiting  Teacher  Goes  About  Her  Work 17 

IV.  Why  Children  Are  Referred  to  the  Visiting  Teacher 23 

V.  How    the    Visiting  Teacher    Analyzes    and    Solves    Her 

Problems   2.7 

1.  Maladjustments    in    Scholarship 28 

2.  Adverse  Home  Conditions 34 

3.  Behavior  Problems  and  Prevention  of  Delinquency.  39 

4.  Leaving  School  Prematurely 45 

5.  Problems  of  the  Foreign  Born 47 

6.  Summary  of  the  General  Measures  Found  to  be 

Effective    So 

VI.  What  Qualifications  Are  Essential  for  Visiting  Teacher 

Work    54 

VII.  What   are   the   Fundamental   Characteristics   and   the 

Prospects  of  the  Work 59 


? 


45230C 


INTRODUCTION 

THIS  REPORT  ON  VISITING  TEACHERS  in  the 
United  States  by  the  National  Association  of  Visiting 
Teachers  and  Home  and  School  Visitors  should  be  of 
great  interest  to  educators  and  laymen  everywhere  who  are 
seeking  to  enable  the  schools  to  meet  the  needs  of  individual 
children.  i      , 

The  Public  Education  Association  takes  peculiar  pleasure 
in  publishing  this  report  because  it  has  for  years  maintained  a 
staff  of  several  visiting  teachers,  who  have  co-operated  with 
the  principals  and  teachers  in  the  New  York  City  public  schools 
in  solving  such  problems.  The  report  is  a  splendid  sequel  to 
'The  Visiting  Teacher  in  New  York  City"  by  Harriet  M. 
Johnson,  formerly  of  the  Association's  staff,  published  by  the 
Association  in  1916.  It  not  only  furnishes  a  vivid  picture  of 
what  visiting  teachers  everywhere  are  doing  but  gives  the  un- 
mistakable impression  that  the  work  is  no  longer  an  unproven 
experiment  but  an  integral  part  of  a  progressive  program  of 
public  education.  As  the  first  report  of  the  National  Associa- 
tion, it  is  to  be  highly  commended  and  regarded  as  an  initial 
publication  that  gives  promise  of  future  valuable  contributions 
to  the  literature  of  this  important  subject. 

Aside  from  the  clarity  with  which  the  technique  of  the 
work  is  analyzed  and  described,  there  is  one  aspect  of  the  re- 
port which  is  of  especial  interest  to  the  Public  Education  Asso- 
ciation. We  note  that  usually  this  work  has  been  initiated 
and  fostered  by  the  co-operative  efforts  of  public  spirited  citi- 
zens and  school  officials.  It  is  thus  but  another  of  many  in- 
stances that  might  be  cited  from  the  history  of  public  education 
in  this  country  to  illustrate  how  organized  citizen  effort  can 
further  child  welfare  in  co-operation  with  the  schools.     A 


study  of  the' development  "of  the  public  school  system  shows 
that  at  every  step  progress  has  been  made  either  partly  through 
the  assistance  of  public  spirited  citizens  or  almost  entirely 
through  the  pressure  of  public  opinion  from  without.  The 
early  stages  of  the  visiting  teacher  experiment  in  New  York 
City  would  have  been  impossible  without  the  generous  moral 
and  financial  support  rendered  the  Public  Education  Associa- 
tion by  its  Visiting  Teacher  Committee  and  by  the  contribu- 
tors to  its  visiting  teacher  fund.  That  similar  assistance  by 
public  spirited  citizens  elsewhere  has  made  possible  the  growth 
and  development  of  visiting  teacher  work  throughout  the  coun- 
try is  a  splendid  testimony  to  the  interest  of  the  people  in  their 
public  school  system  and  inspires  confidence  in  organizations 
which,  like  ours,  devote  their  disinterested  efforts  exclusively 
to  furthering  the  cause  of  public  education. 

From  every  point  of  view,  therefore,  we  congratulate  the 
National  Association  of  Visiting  Teachers  and  Home  and 
School  Visitors  upon  this  report,  and  we  look  forward  with 
interest  to  their  future  publications. 

Howard  W.  Nudd,  Director, 

Public  Education  Association  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

June,  1921. 


FOREWORD 

THE  FOLLOWING  REPORT  on  the  work  of  the  visit- 
ing teachers  of  the  United  States  was  undertaken  by  the 
National  Association  of  Visiting  Teachers  and  Home 
and  School  Visitors  with  a  double  purpose  in  view.     The  re- 
port aimed  to  furnish  information  : 

i.    To  those  who  are  organizing  the  work  in  new  localities. 
2.    To  visiting  teachers  who  desire  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  work  of  other  visiting  teachers. 

In  order  to.  obtain  the  information  needed  for  the  report, 
the  names  of  visiting  teachers  not  already  known  to  the  Na- 
tional Association  were  secured  from  State  and  City  Super- 
intendents of  Schools  and  others,  and  a  questionnaire  was 
addressed  to  each  one.  Even  with  these  precautions  the  com- 
mittee has  learned  since  that  several  visiting  teachers  were  not 
reached.  About  80  questionnaires  were  sent  out,  and  60  an- 
swers were  received.  The  questionnaire  covered  the  following 
general  subjects: 

1.  Organization,  place  in  the  school  system,  supervision, 
assignment,  etc. 

2.  Methods  of  work, — causes  for  referring  cases,  facili- 
ties for  adjustment  within  and  without  the  school, 
methods  found  desirable,  etc. 

3.  Reports  and  illustrations  of  the  work.  Printed  articles 
on  the  visiting  teacher.  Percentage  enumeration  of  the 
nationalities  visited. 

4.  Training  and  preparation  of  visiting  teachers. 

5.  Visiting  teachers'  personal  estimate  of  their  function, 
their  special  interests,  and  the  development  of  the 
work;  suggestions. 

Additional  information  was  also  secured  through  cor- 
respondence. 


The  Committee  wishes  to  acknowledge  its  indebtedness  to 
the  Public  Education  Association  of  the  City  of  New  York  for 
their  critical  reading  of  this  report  and  for  their  generosity  in 
publishing  it. 

SURVEY  COMMITTEE, 

National  Association  of  Visiting  Teachers  and 
Home  and  School  Visitors, 

Jessie  L.  Louderback,  N.  Y.,  Chairman. 

Suzanne  Fisher,  Chicago. 

Elisabeth  B.  Ely,  Boston. 

Jane  F.  Culbert,  N.  Y.,  Ex -Officio. 


I 

How  Visiting  Teacher  Work  Originated  and 
Developed 

THE  WORK  OF  THE  VISITING  TEACHER  had  a 
triple  origin.  In  the  school  year  1906- 1907  New  York, 
Boston  and  Hartford,  Connecticut,  developed  simulta- 
neously but  independently,  a  similar  type  of  work  to  meet  a 
common  need.  For  a  long  time,  thoughtful  educators  had 
realized  that  even  with  the  extension  of  the  work  of  the  at- 
tendance officer,  the  school  nurse  and  the  special  classes  there 
were  still  children,  neither  truants,  delinquents  nor  those  phys- 
ically handicapped,  for  whom  the  school  was  not  functioning 
effectively.  Even  in  a  school  system  representing  the  most  ad- 
vanced educational  thought  there  was  still  the  child  who  failed 
to  make  the  prescribed  progress  or  who  failed  to  measure  up 
to  the  expected  standard  of  behavior.  These  children  were 
frequently  referred  to  as  "difficult"  or  "problem"  children. 

Why  the  Work  Each    failure   was   evidence    of   a   mal- 

Started  adjustment  somewhere  along  the  line.     To" 

find  the  cause  of  this  maladjustment,  whether  it  lay  in  the 
school,  in  the  home,  in  the  neighborhood  or  in  the  child  him- 
self, to  find  the  cause  and  then  to  seek  its  adjustment,  this  was 
the  preventive  and  constructive  purpose  for  which  the  visiting 
teacher  was  added  to  the  school  system.  It  was  evident  that 
someone  representing  the  school  was  needed  to  get  acquainted 
with  the  individual  child  and  to  bring  about  a  closer  co-opera- 
tion of  home  and  school. 

To  make  the  most  out  of  the  five  school  hours  the  teacher 
must  understand  something  of  the  child's  life  during  the  other 
nineteen  hours  of  the  day;  and  in  order  not  to  undo  the  work 
of  the  five  hours  the  home  must  be  in  close  touch  with  the 
school  and  must  understand  its  aim  and  demands.    Otherwise 


home  and  school  may  work,  quite  unconsciously,  at  cross  pur- 
poses. Home,  school,  and  neighborhood,  each  is  familiar  with 
a  different  child,  and  unless  there  be  someone  to  see  the  zvhole 
child,  the  many-sided  individual,  and  to  help  the  teacher  and 
parents  to  understand  him  and  to  work  out  together  a  plan  to 
meet  his  individual  needs,  there  is  danger  that  the  educative 
agencies  at  work  upon  his  plastic  nature  may  leave  warped  or 
undeveloped  some  essential  element  of  his  character. 
How  the  Work  As  has  frequently  happened  in  other  edu- 

Began  cational    experiments    the    visiting    teacher 

movement  was  initiated  in  some  cities  by  private  organizations, 
and,  after  the  value  of  the  work  had  been  demonstrated,  was 
taken  over  by  the  Department  of  Education.  In  New  York, 
the  work  originated  in  two  settlements  in  which  workers  with 
the  children  felt  that  they  needed  to  get  in  closer  touch  with  the 
teachers  of  the  settlement  children.  They  found  that  besides 
securing  help  from  the  school  they  could  be  of  assistance  to 
the  teachers,  both  in  obtaining  better  co-operation  of  the  parents 
and  in  understanding  certain  children  who  had  been  enigmas. 
As  a  result,  one  resident  in  each  settlement  assumed  the  special 
work  of  calling  on  the  families  of  those  children  who  presented 
serious  social  or  educational  problems,  and  this  worker  came 
to  be  known  as  the  school  visitor  or  visiting  teacher.  A 
committee  to  extend  and  develop  this  work  was  shortly  after- 
wards formed  by  the  Public  Education  Association  which 
maintained  the  work  until  the  Board  of  Education  was  con- 
vinced of  its  value  and  established  it  as  part  of  the  school  sys- 
tem. In  Boston  the  work  was  started  by  a  group  of  public- 
spirited  citizens,  whose  example  was  followed  by  women's 
clubs  and  settlements.  In  Hartford,  the  third  pioneer,  the 
work  was  undertaken  upon  the  suggestion  of  the  director  of 
the  Psychological  Laboratory,  who  realized  the  need  of  it  in 
connection  with  his  work  with  problematic  school  children. 

Where  the  The  movement  has  grown  gradually  and 

Work  is  Now  steadily  until  at  the  present  there  are  visiting 

Con  ucte  teachers  in  at  least  28  cities  in  15  states  in 

all  parts  of  the  country,  differing  widely  in  size  and  character, 

10 


as  may  be  seen  in  Table  I.  The  work  has  now  passed  the  ex- 
perimental stage,  and  is  coming  into  general  recognition  as 
one  of  the  constructive  factors  of  the  school  system  in  achieving 
the  ideal  of  starting  each  child  straight,  and  in  fulfilling  its 
obligation  to  the  democracy  of  to-morrow. 

Table  I — Geographical  Distribution  of  Visiting 
Teachers  in  the  United  States  x 


State 

City 

Number  of 
Visiting 
Teachers 

1. 

Connecticut 

Hartford 

3 

2. 

Georgia 

Atlanta 

1 

3. 

Illinois 

Chicago 

3 

4. 

Iowa 

Des  Moines 
Mason  City 

5. 

Kentucky 

Louisville 

6. 

Massachusetts 

Boston 
Newton 
Springfield 
Worcester 

15 

7. 

Minnesota 

Minneapolis 

14 

8. 

Missouri 

Kansas  City 

9. 

New  Jersey- 

Glen  Ridge 
Monmouth  County 
Montclair 
Newark 

10. 

New  York 

New  York  City 
Mount  Vernon 
Rochester 
Utica 

17 

11. 

North  Carolina 

Raleigh 

12. 

North  Dakota 

Billings    County 
Fargo 

13. 

Ohio 

Cleveland 
Columbus 

2 
3 

14. 

Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia 
Harrisburg 

5 
1 

15. 

Virginia 

Roanoke 

1 

1.  In  some  places  "school  visitor"  or  other  title  is  used. 

II 


It  is  interesting  to  note  that  while  the  same  fundamental 
need  has  been  recognized,  yet  in  different  cities  the  work  has 
been  approached  from  different  standpoints.  In  some  cities  it 
was  introduced  by  those  interested  in  the  up-building  of  com- 
munity life;  in  others  by  those  working  with  unadjusted  school 
children;  psychologists,  women's  clubs  and  parents'  associa- 
tions which  especially  recognized  the  need  of  closer  co-opera- 
tion with  the  school;  by  others  who  were  interested  in  the 
causes  that  lie  back  of  irregular  attendance  and  poor  scholar- 
ship ;  and  by  child  welfare  workers  who  saw  children  in  danger 
of  falling  between  the  two  seats  of  authority — the  home  and 
the  school.  The  roots  of  this  work  are  wide  spread  and  its 
ramifications  many. 


12 


II 

The  Place  of  the  Visiting  Teacher  in  the 
School  System 

THE  ADMINISTRATIVE  RELATIONSHIPS  of  this 
comparatively  new  service  are  still  in  process  of  deve- 
lopment. In  general  there  are  two  plans.  In  seventeen 
cities  varying  in  size  and  character  from  the  suburban  town  to 
large  industrial  centres  like  Chicago  or  New  York,  the  visiting 
teacher  is  assigned  either  to  a  single  school  or  to  a  group  of 
neighboring  schools.  In  nine  instances  the  visiting  teacher 
works  throughout  the  city.  That  the  size  of  the  place  seems 
not  to  determine  the  method  may  be  seen  from  Table  II. 

Table  II — Method  of  Assignment 


Cities  in  which  Individual  Viiiting 

Teachers  are  assigned  to  a  Single  School 

or  to  a  Group  of  Neighboring  Schools 

Cities  in  which  Individual  Visiting 

Teachers  are  assigned  to  Schools 

throughout  the  City. 

1. 

Atlanta,  Ga. 

1. 

Cleveland,  Ohio 

2. 

Boston,  Mass. 

2. 

Fargo,  N.  D. 

3. 

Chicago,  111. 

3. 

Kansas  City,  Mo. 

4. 

Columbus,  Ohio 

4. 

Mason   City,  Iowa 

5. 

Des  Moines,  Iowa 

5. 

Mt.  Vernon,   N.   Y. 

6. 

Glen  Ridge,  N.  J. 

6. 

Roanoke,  Virginia 

7. 

Harrisburg,  Pa. 

7. 

Springfield,  Mass. 

8. 

Hartford,  Conn. 

8. 

Utica,  N.  Y. 

9. 

Louisville,  Ky. 

9. 

Worcester,  Mass. 

10. 

Minneapolis,  Minn. 

11. 

Montclair,  N.  J. 

12. 

Newark,  N.  J. 

13. 

Newton,  Mass. 

14. 

New  York,  N.  Y. 

15. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

16. 

Raleigh,  N.  C. 

17. 

Rochester,  N.  Y. 

13 


Assignment  The   majority   of    school    systems    have 

adopted  as  the  most  satisfactory  method,  the 
assignment  of  a  visiting  teacher  to  one  school  of  which  she 
becomes  an  integral  part,  or,  at  least,  to  a  field  sufficiently 
compact  for  her  to  be  identified  with  it,  so  that  she  may  be 
the  school's  representative  in  the  community  and  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  neighborhood  in  the  school.  In  the  whole-city 
plan,  on  the  other  hand,  the  visiting  teacher's  connection  with 
the  individual  school  and  the  neighborhood  is  rarely  close 
enough  for  her  to  be  identified  with  its  interests. 

Where  a  visiting  teacher  is  assigned  to  but  one  school,  as  a 
rule  she  visits  that  school  regularly,  usually  having  daily  office 
hours.  Where  her  work  covers  several  schools  she  reports 
regularly  at  the  one  or  two  schools  where  her  major  work  lies 
and  occasionally,  or  upon  request,  at  the  other  schools.  Where, 
however,  her  work  extends  over  an  entire  city,  she  usually 
visits  a  school  at  the  request  of  the  principal. 

Supervision  In   the   majority   of   cities,   the   visiting 

teachers  are  supervised  by  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools  or  his  associates.  This  is  the  case  in  New 
York,  Utica,  Mt.  Vernon,  Montclair,  Hartford,  Columbus, 
Cleveland,  Kansas  City  and  elsewhere.  Rochester  recently  or- 
ganized a  department  of  visiting  teachers  with  a  director,  re- 
sponsible to  the  Superintendent  of  Schools.  Fargo,  N.  Dakota, 
has  a  Home  and  School  Visiting  Department.  In  Minneapolis, 
however,  which  has  fourteen  visiting  teachers,  the  visiting 
teachers  are  a  part  of  the  Department  of  Attendance  and 
Guidance.  In  Chicago,  which  now  has  three  visiting  teachers, 
the  work  is  part  of  the  Department  of  Vocational  Guidance 
and  Employment  Certificates.  In  Des  Moines  the  work  of  the 
one  visiting  teacher  is  part  of  the  Attendance  Department.  It 
is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  the  individual  visiting  teacher 
works  under  the  supervision  and  in  co-operation  with  the  prin- 
cipals, who  regard  her  as  a  specialist  in  her  line  and  in  varying 
degree  put  upon  her  the  responsibility  for  the  solution  of  the 
social  problems  of  the  school. 

14 


Cooperation  The  relation  of  the  visiting  teacher  to  the 

With  Special  other  special  departments,  such  as  those  of 

epar  men  s  Attendance,  Child  Hygiene  and  Child  Study, 

is  in  every  instance  where  such  departments 
exist  that  of  co-operation,  the  visiting  teacher  referring  to  each 
of  these  departments  the  children  who  need  its  special  work 
and,  in  turn,  assisting  in  problems  referred  by  these  depart- 
ments for  adjustment  or  the  personal  supervision  of  the 
visiting  teacher.  Over-lapping  is  negligible,  since  each  is  re- 
sponsible for  a  special  line  of  work. 

Relation  to  With  Vocational  Guidance,  however,  the 

Vocational  jjne  js  not   qUjte  so  clearly   drawn,   for  in 

three  cities,  Chicago,  Minneapolis,  and 
Mason  City,  Iowa,  the  visiting  teachers  assist 
with  vocational  guidance  in  their  school  or  district,  adding  to 
their  social  and  educational  work  the  specific  work  of  Voca- 
tional Counsellor.  Where  vocational  counsellors  do  not  exist, 
the  visiting  teacher,  of  course,  frequently  assumes  this  task. 

Hours  For    the    most    part,    the    work   of   the 

visiting  teacher  extends  throughout  the  ten 
months  of  the  school  year  and  her  hours  are  equivalent  to 
those  of  the  school  day  and  week,  though  in  several  cities  her 
week  consists  of  five  and  one-half  days.  "Equivalent"  hours, 
however,  must  not  be  interpreted  to  mean  "identical", 
for  the  work  requires  evening  and  morning  visits,  and  fre- 
quently Saturday  and  Sunday  calls  on  parents  who  cannot  be 
found  on  other  days.  Indeed,  the  nature  of  the  work  precludes 
limiting  it  to  definite  or  regular  hours. 

Number  of  A    visiting    teacher's    work    cannot    be 

Cases  measured  by  mere  figures,  any  more  than  it 

can  be  limited  to  definite  hours.  The  num- 
ber of  children  with  whom  the  visiting  teacher  deals  varies 
greatly,  and  is  determined  by  the  size  and  number  of  schools 
in  which  she  works,  the  character  of  the  neighborhood,  its 
geographical  area,  the  amount  of  group  or  community  work 

15 


required  by  her  neighborhood,  the  amount  of  personal  follow- 
up  work  needed,  and  the  number  of  co-operating  agencies 
available.  The  average  number  of  cases  for  each  visiting 
teacher  runs  from  ioo  to  1,000  a  year,  and  the  figure  most  fre- 
quently given  is  about  300. 

Number  of  The   visiting  teacher   covers  the   school 

Grades  grades     from    kindergarten    through    high 

school.  Usually,  however,  high  school  students  are  the  con- 
cern of  a  visiting  teacher  especially  assigned  to  that  work.  Up 
to  the  present,  her  major  work  is  found  in  the  elementary 
schools,  though  it  is  being  introduced  into  the  high  schools 
more  and  more.  The  Junior  High  School,  with  its  concen- 
tration of  adolescent  problems,  also  offers  a  promising  field. 


16 


Ill 

How  the  Visiting  Teacher  Goes  about  her  Work 

THIS  SECTION,  on  methods  of  work,  is  based  on  an- 
swers to  such  questions   as  an  "outline  of  the  day's 
work",  "how  cases  are  received  and  closed",  "agencies 
co-operated  with",  "facilities  available  and  measures  found  ef- 
fective in  making  adjustments",  and  the  like. 

The  Day's  In    spite    of    the    fact   that   the   visiting 

Work  teachers  work  under  such  varying  circum- 

stances as  those  outlined  above,  their  reports  show  that  almost 
uniformly  a  large  part  of  the  day  is  devoted  to  visiting  in  the 
homes  of  the  children ;  but  a  considerable  portion  of  time  is 
also  spent  in  the  schools,  conferring  with  teachers,  receiving 
new  cases,  giving  information  on  those  already  undertaken  and 
learning  of  their  progress.  In  addition,  the  visiting  teacher  has 
to  find  time  for  calls  on  co-operating  agencies ;  and,  finally,  she 
gives  a  brief  space  to  the  keeping  of  records  and  to  correspond- 
ence.   The  distribution  of  time  varies  according  to  local  needs. 

Receiving  During  her  office  hours,  as  a  rule,  new 

New  Cases  cases  are  reported  to  the  visiting  teacher  by 

the  principal  or  teachers.  At  the  outset  it  is  advisable  to  learn 
as  much  as  possible  about  the  circumstances  for  which  the 
child  was  referred.  In  this  connection  several  visiting  teachers 
point  out  the  advantage  of  talking  over  a  case  with  the  class 
teacher,  in  order  to  learn  the  significant  details,  for,  as  one 
visiting  teacher  reported,  "adequate  information  is  the  best 
preparation  for  answering  inquiries  in  the  home,  or  combating 
ignorance  of  school  affairs,  and  makes  for  quick  and  effective 
solution  of  difficulties".  Many  visiting  teachers  mention  also 
the  interview  with  the  child  in  school  as  an  important  prelimi- 
nary before  taking  up  the  work  outside  the  school. 

i7 


Visits  to  In  visiting  the  home,  the  technique  born 

he  Home  Q£  experience  and  training  in  social  work, 

helps  the  visiting  teacher  to  get  en  rapport  with  the  family. 
Her  first  visit  is  often  exploratory  in  nature.  The  visiting 
teacher  is  prepared  to  study  the  situation  and  decide  what 
course  to  pursue. 

One  visiting  teacher  states  that  she  makes  it  a  practice 
never  to  broach  the  real  subject  of  her  visit  till  she  has  ac- 
quainted herself  with  the  family  attitude  toward  the  school. 
Another  states  that  she  tries  to  be  an  impartial  listener  and  a 
good  observer.  The  report  of  a  third  visiting  teacher  echoes 
the  sentiments  of  many.  It  reads :  'The  visiting  teacher  comes 
so  closely  in  contact  with  the  home  that  home  problems  are 
given  to  her  as  freely  as  to  a  member  of  the  family.  School 
problems,  too,  which  would  never  be  brought  to  the  teacher 
and  perhaps  not  to  the  principal  become  hers  in  a  very  short 
time.  Questions  of  promotion,  demotion,  dissatisfaction  with 
school,  desirability  of  classmates  and  playmates  are  talked  over 
with  the  visiting  teacher, — as  the  school  friend  of  the  family". 

Several  visiting  teachers  mention  the  advantage  which 
their  teaching  experience  gives  them  in  enabling  them  to  ex- 
plain away  seeming  school  exactions  and  to  suggest  solutions 
for  difficulties.  Parents  get  a  new  vision  of  the  school  and  of 
their  responsibility  to  it,  and  their  co-operation  is  thus  assured. 

Social  When  the  situation  calls  for  social  ad- 

Cooperation  justments,   the  visiting  teacher  goes   about 

the  task  in  much  the  same  way  as  any  trained  social  worker — 
analyzing  the  problem,  gaining  the  family  confidence,  and, 
when  necessary,  seeking  the  co-operation  of  social  agencies 
whose  special  function  it  is  to  handle  the  particular  difficulty. 
Often  she  finds  it  of  advantage  to  make  a  personal  visit  to 
these  agencies  to  confer  on  the  family's  needs,  and  explain  the 
school's  point  of  view.  Table  III  gives  the  number  of  visiting 
teachers  who  report  co-operating  with  the  agencies  named,  and 
shows  considerable  agreement  in  procedure  as  far  as  local 
resources  allow. 

18 


Table  III — Co-operating  Agencies. 


Number  of 

Agencies 

Visiting 
Teachers 

1. 

Relief  Societies 

57 

2. 

Children's  Courts  or  a  Substitute 

51 

3. 

Girls'  Clubs 

51 

4. 

Society  for  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 

Children 

50 

5. 

Probation  Officers  for  Children 

50 

6 

Recreation  Centres 

50 

7. 

Church  Societies 

47 

8. 

Boys'  Clubs 

47 

9. 

Psychiatric  Clinics 

45 

10. 

Nurseries 

44 

11. 

Parents  Associations 

35 

12. 

Employment  Bureaus 

32 

13. 

Probation  Officers  for  Adults 

23 

Representing  Several  visiting  teachers  state  that  they 

The  School  act  as  the  school's  representative  in  all  mat- 

ters of  a  social  nature,  and  when  social  workers  call  at  the 
school  for  information  on  children  and  families,  they  report 
for  the  school.  This  not  only  saves  duplication  of  effort  and 
time  of  administrators,  but,  because  the  visiting  teacher  is 
conversant  with  the  field  of  social  work,  it  enables  the  school 
to  give  to  the  social  agencies  the  kind  of  co-operation  sought. 

Reporting  Back  Many  visiting  teachers  emphasize  as  a 

to  the  School  most  important  factor  in  their  work  the  re- 

port which  they  make  to  the  school  on  the  children  visited. 
Their  interpretation  of  the  child's  environment  and  special 
difficulties  gives  the  class  teacher  new  light  on  his  behavior, 
and  assists  her  in  planning  for  his  interests.  When  the  school 
problem  involved  is  intricate,  a  conference  is  held  with  the 
principal  and  teacher  to  determine  the  best  plan  to  follow  in 
adjusting  the  child. 

Adjustments  When   the    special   needs   of   individual 

Made  in  the  children  are  revealed,  the  school  is  ready  to 

make  whatever  adaptations  are  suggested  to 

fit  each  case,  so   far  as  its  resources  permit.     The   visiting 


19 


teachers'  reports  mention  such  special  arrangements  as :  change 
of  curriculum,  trade  training  for  motile-minded  children,  extra 
tutoring  or  extra  periods  in  the  handicapping  subject,  promo- 
tions on  trial  for  the  discouraged  or  indifferent  whom  the 
visiting  teacher  has  stimulated  to  increased  effort,  late  admis- 
sion or  early  dismissal  to  accommodate  a  sick  parent  tempo- 
rarily in  need  of  the  child's  ministrations,  transfer  to  open-air 
classes  or  examination  and  placement  for  mental  defect  for 
those  whose  histories  show  the  need  of  such  procedure. 

The  replies  to  the  question  asking  what  special  classes  are 
available  to  which  the  visiting  teacher  may  recommend  chil- 
dren are  given  in  Table  IV. 

Table  IV — Special  Classes  Available  for  Problematical 

Children 


Types  of  Classes 

Number  of  Visiting 
Teachers  Replying  "Yes" 

1. 

Mental  Defectives 

48 

2. 

Vocational  Classes 

45 

3. 

Anemic  or  Tubercular 

41 

4. 

Deaf 

36 

5. 

Blind 

34 

6. 

Crippled 

34 

7. 

Sight  Conservation 

31 

8. 

Speech  Defect 

23 

9. 

Special  Defects 

17 

10. 

Rapid  Advance 

16 

11. 

Neurotics 

15 

12. 

Probationary  or  Disciplinary 

9 

13. 

Opportunity 

4 

14. 

Retarded 

2 

15. 

Epileptics 

2 

16. 

Cardiac 

2 

Follow-Up  To  the  question,  "How  long  do  you  fol- 

low-up a  case?",  the  majority  of  visiting 
teachers  answer  that  they  continue  a  case  as  a  rule  "till  the 
condition  is  remedied",  and  then  it  is  considered  "closed"  or 


20 


on  the  "inactive"  list.  The  visiting  teacher,  however,  usually 
retains  her  interest  in  the  children  as  long  as  they  remain  in 
school.  Although  in  general  a  case  is  under  supervision  until 
the  special  difficulty  is  adjusted,  or  the  sinister  habit  is  cured, 
yet  the  nature  of  circumstances  will  determine  the  amount  of 
follow-up.  Even  when  the  school  is  satisfied  to  close  a  case, 
the  family  may  not  be,  for  many  times  the  visiting  teacher 
"finds  waiting  at  her  office  door  the  mother  whom  she  has 
advised  in  a  former  difficulty  seeking  her  help  in  a  new  emer- 
gency". 

Office  and  The  majority  of  visiting  teachers  report 

Office  Hours  that  they  hold  regUlar  office  hours  at  their 

offices,  which  are  usually  in  the  school  buildings.  A  few  visit- 
ing teachers  not  supplied  with  offices  express  their  great  need 
of  a  private  place  in  which  to  hold  the  necessary  conferences 
with  children,  teachers,  social  workers,  and  such  parents  as 
seek  them  at  school.  The  very  nature  of  the  work,  requiring 
intimate  talks  with  the  child  or  with  the  teacher  relative  to  the 
child,  would  argue  the  necessity  of  a  private  office. 

The  time  of  the  office  hour  seems  to  be  a  matter  of  .local 
convenience.  Some  visiting  teachers  hold  their  office  hours  at 
the  beginning  of  the  day,  at  which  time  new  cases  are  referred. 
Others  find  a  later  hour,  especially  one  toward  the  close  of  the 
school  day,  more  convenient  to  teachers  and  social  workers. 

Time  for  In  choosing  the  hour  for  a  call,  the  visit- 

Calling  ing  teacher  is  fortunately  unhampered.   She 

apparently  chooses  a  time  appropriate  to  her  purpose,  calling 
sometimes  during  school  hours  to  interview  the  parent  alone, 
or  in  the  early  morning,  at  noon,  or  in  the  evening  to  catch 
the  working  parent,  or  late  in  the  day  to  meet  the  assembled 
family  and  secure  their  co-operation  or  to  learn  at  first  hand 
their  reaction  to  the  child,  or  at  night  to  discover  the  influence 
of  the  neighborhood  on  the  child's  life  and  character.  In 
urgent  matters  she  may  find  it  advisable  to  seek  the  father  at 
his  shop  or  factory. 

21 


Record  Forms  Visiting  teachers  everywhere  have  found 

it  advisable  to  keep  accurate  records  of  im- 
portant facts  about  the  children  referred  to  them,  and  prac- 
tically every  city  has  worked  out  as  a  time  saving  measure  a 
record  form  on  which  as  many  items  as  possible  can  be  easily 
inserted.  The  record  form  has  not  been  standardized,  but 
the  printed  forms  in  use  in  practically  all  the  larger  cities  in- 
clude, among  others,  the  following  items: 

i.    Identification  data. 

2.  Why  and  by  whom  the  child  was  referred. 

3.  Important  facts  about  the  school  record — including 
mentality,  proficiencies,  deficiencies,  behavior,  at- 
tendance. 

4.  Important  facts  about  environment  and  home  condi- 
tions. 

5.  Special  difficulties,  characteristics,  and  tendencies. 

6.  Action  taken : 

With  the  child. 

In  the  school. 

In  the  home. 

Through  social  agencies. 

7.  Outcome. 

Reports  Many  visiting  teachers   state   that  they 

furnish  their  Boards  with  annual  reports, 
compiled  from  their  case  histories.  In  some  localities  monthly 
reports  also  are  made.  The  form  of  both  reports  varies  from 
fragmentary  to  detailed  and  statistical,  according  to  local 
demands. 

Most  of  the  annual  reports  submitted  with  the  question- 
naires were  in  narrative  form,  with  a  minimum  of  statistics, 
but  no  city  seems  to  have  worked  out  a  set  form  for  the  an- 
nual report. 

For  monthly  reports,  however,  New  York  City  and  Ro- 
chester use  printed  forms  which  call  for  a  statistical  summary 
of  the  month's  work.  That  for  New  York  calls  for  "com- 
ments" and  for  "one  or  more  cases  in  some  detail  on  attached 
sheets".  The  latter  commends  itself  as  a  concrete  method  of 
giving  insight  into  the  character  and  scope  of  the  work,  in- 
cluding its  difficulties. 

22 


IV 

Why  Children  Are  Referred  to  the 
Visiting  Teacher 

A  QUESTION  frequently  asked  by  persons  interested  in 
visiting  teacher  work  is :  "For  what  reasons  are  chil- 
dren referred  to  the  visiting  teacher  ?"    The  Committee 
therefore  undertook  the  task  of  finding  out  these  reasons  and 
of  determining  the  relative  frequency  of  their  occurrence. 

General  The    replies    to    this    inquiry    are    sum- 

Reasons  marized  in  Table  V.     The  "reasons"  there 

enumerated  are,  of  course,  the  reasons  given  by  the  school  when 
the  child  is  reported  to  the  visiting  teacher.  In  many  cases, 
however,  as  will  be  shown  in  the  following  chapter,  the  under- 
lying cause  proves  to  be  an  unsuspected  condition  which  the 
visiting  teacher  discovers  and  which  may  be  remote  from  the 
cause  or  causes  originally  assigned  or  supposed  to  exist. 

Out  of  a  possible  sixty,  fifty-seven  definite  replies  were 
received,  three  visiting  teachers  giving  only  a  general  answer 
on  account  of  the  special  character  of  their  work.  The  fifty- 
seven  replies  contained  the  following  data: 

Table  V — General  Reasons  Given  for  Referring 
Children  to  the  Visiting  Teacher 


Reason  for  Referring 
Children 

Total  number 
of  Visiting 
Teachers 
naming  this 
reason  as  oc- 
curring among 
their  cases 

Number  of  Visiting  Teachers  naming 
this  reason  as  occurring  first,  second, 
third,  etc.,  in  order  of  frequency 
among  their  cases 

1st 

2nd 

3rd  |   4th 

5th 

6th 

1.  Maladjustments  in 

Scholarship 

2.  Adverse  Home 

Conditions 

3.  Irregular  Attendance 

4.  Misconduct 

5.  Lateness 

6.  Physical  Condition 

57 

57 
56 
53 
49 
45 

25 

16 

15 

3 

1 
3 

10 

11 

13 

15 

4 

4 

8 

11 
10 

7 
9 
7 

7 

10 

8 

8 

10 

12 

4 

6 
6 

15 
8 

12 

3 

3 

4 

5 

17 

7 

23 


This  table  shows  that  there  are  six  main  reasons  why 
children  are  referred  to  visiting  teachers.  Of  these,  the  first 
two, — "maladjustments  in  scholarship"  and  "adverse  home 
conditions" — are  apparently  of  universal  occurrence,  since  the 
entire  57  visiting  teachers  replying  name  them.  Lateness  and 
physical  condition,  on  the  other  hand,  which  are  named  by  but 
49  and  45  visiting  teachers  respectively,  evidently  are  causes  in 
some  localities  and  not  in  others. 

The  table  also  shows  in  how  many  instances  each  of  these 
causes  occurs  first,  second,  third,  etc.,  in  order  of  frequency 
among  the  cases  referred  to  the  visiting  teachers.  Thus,  of  the 
57  visiting  teachers  naming  maladjustment  in  scholarship,  25 
name  it  as  occurring  most  frequently,  or  first  in  order  among 
their  cases,  10  as  occurring  second  in  order,  8  as  third  in  order, 
7  as  fourth  in  order,  4  as  fifth  in  order,  and  3  as  sixth  in 
order.  Looking  at  the  table  another  way,  one  can  also  see 
that  while  25  visiting  teachers  name  "maladjustment  in  scholar- 
ship" as  occuring  most  frequently  in  their  cases,  16  give  first 
place  to  "adverse  home  conditions",  15  to  "irregular  attend- 
ance", 3  to  "misconduct",  1  to  "lateness",  and  3  to  "physical 
condition."  The  most  striking  fact  of  this  summary  is  that 
"maladjustment  in  scholarship"  easily  leads  the  list  in  order  of 
frequency  with  "adverse  home  conditions"  and  "irregular  at- 
tendance" second  and  third  and  the  others  trailing  behind. 

Specific  The  replies  of  the  visiting  teachers  also 

Reasons  brought  out  interesting  information  regard- 

ing the  specific  character  of  the  first  four  of  the  reasons  given 
above.    These  data  are  summarized  in  Table  VI. 

This  table  shows,  for  example,  that  50  visiting  teachers 
reported  that  "maladjustment  in  scholarship"  was  stated  by  the 
persons  referring  cases  to  them  as  due  to  "subnormality",  49 
as  due  to  "retardation",  48  to  "deficiency  in  lessons",  and  34 
to  "precocity".  The  table  also  shows  that  while  subnormality 
was  reported  as  occurring  most  frequently,  or  first  in  order, 
by  11  visiting  teachers  and  second  in  order  by  6,  it  was  re- 
ported as  occurring  third  in  order  by  26  visiting  teachers  and 

24 


Table  VI — Specific  Reasons  for  Referring  Children 
to  the  Visiting  Teacher 


Reasons  for  Referring  Children 


EH 


h> 


5°§ 

Mm  § 

.S  rt 

1   C!   t*f1 

rt  o  c 

c/i  rt  t-  <u 

i-  <U  3^3 


m 


Number  of  Visiting  Teachers 
naming  this  reason  as  occur- 
ring first,  second,  third,  etc., 
in  order  of  frequency  among 
their  cases 


1st      2nd     3rd       4th       5th 


1.  Maladjustments  in  scholarship: 

(a)  Subnormality 

(b)  Retardation 

\  (c)  Deficiency  in  Lessons 
(d)  Precocity 

2.  Adverse  Home  Conditions: 
'    (a)   Poverty 

(b)  Neglect 

(c)  Improper  Guardianship 

(d)  Immorality 
v   (e)  Cruelty 

3.  Misconduct: 

(a)   In  School 
-v   (b)   Out  of  School 
(c)  Involving  Morals 

4.  Irregular  Attendance: 

(a)  Suspicious  Absence 

(b)  Due  to  Home  Conditions 

(c)  Half-days  Absence 


50 
49 
48 
34 


48 
47 
39 
32 
31 


45 
41 
38 


42 
38 
37 


11 

1 
6 

26 

7 

11 

31 

5 

2 

29 

10 

8 

1 

1 

2 

8 

23 

26 

14 

4 

3 

17 

19 

8 

3 

7 

8 

16 

5 

0 

5 

8 

6 

0 

1 

6 

14 

33 

4 

8 

10 

20 

11 

6 

16 

16 

17 

13 

12 

20 

15 

3 

9 

1  13 

15 

1 

0 

3 

13 
10 


fourth  in  order  by  7.  It  likewise  shows  that  "deficiency  in 
lessons"  is  more  often  given  as  the  first  reason  for  "malad- 
justment in  scholarship"  than  either  "subnormality",  "re- 
tardation" or  "precocity",  since  it  is  named  as  occurring  most 
frequently  by  29  visiting  teachers  while  the  other  reasons  are 
named  as  so  occurring  by  only  11,  11  and  1  visiting  teachers 
respectively.  In  a  similar  way  the  data  under  each  of  the  other 
three  general  headings  can  be  interpreted. 

A  study  of  the  general  trend  2  of  the  frequency  with  which 
the  several  reasons  enumerated  in  this  table  occur  shows  that : 

1.  Under  "maladjustment  in  scholarship"  the  order  of 
frequency  is :  "deficiency  in  lessons",  "retardation",  subnor- 
mality", "precocity". 

2  In  this  case  the  median  is  used  as  the  measure  of  central  tendencies  of  the  several 
distributions. 

25 


2.  Under  "adverse  home  conditions"  the  order  of  fre- 
quency is :  "poverty"  and  "neglect" — the  two  most  easily  rec- 
ognized by  the  class  teacher — "improper  guardianship",  "cruel- 
ty", "immorality  in  the  home". 

3.  Under  "misconduct"  the  order  of  frequency  is:  "con- 
duct in  school",  "conduct  out  of  school",  "conduct  involving 
morality". 

4.  Under  "irregular  attendance"  the  order  of  frequency 
is:  "suspicious  absence",  "home  conditions",  "half-days  ab- 
sence"— many  visiting  teachers  stating  that  their  schools  have 
but  one  session. 

It  was  also  possible  to  note  from  the  replies  to  this  ques- 
tion the  variation  in  the  frequency  of  specific  reasons  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  country.  In  New  York  City,  Boston, 
Springfield,  Louisville  and  a  few  other  places,  for  example, 
"maladjustment  in  scholarship"  holds  first  place  among  the 
reasons  given  for  referring  cases.  In  Hartford,  on  the  other 
hand,  where  retarded  pupils  are  receiving  special  attention  to 
their  physical  condition,  the  three  visiting  teachers  gave  "phys- 
ical condition"  as  the  most  frequent  reason.  In  Minneapolis, 
likewise,  where  visiting  teacher  work  is  intimately  associated 
with  that  of  the  Bureau  of  Attendance  and  in  cities  which 
make  little  provision  for  following  up  attendance,  "irregular 
attendance"  was  given  by  some  as  the  foremost  cause  for  re- 
ferring cases. 

From  the  foregoing  summary  it  is  quite  evident  that  the 
visiting  teacher  is  called  upon  by  the  school  to  grapple  with  a 
wide  range  of  problematical  children  who  need  an  intensive 
and  extensive  study  of  their  individual  needs  and  capacities 
which  it  is  not  reasonable  to  expect  from  the  class  teacher. 
How  the  visiting  teacher  handles  these  problems  is  the  subject 
of  the  following  chapter. 


26 


V 

How  the  Visiting  Teacher  Analyzes  and 
Solves  Her  Problems 

IN   DISCUSSING  the  way  in  which  the  visiting  teacher 
analyzes  and  solves  the  "problems"  submitted  to  her  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  adhere  strictly  to  the  classification  of 
cases  on  the  basis  of  the  "reasons  for  reporting"  presented  in 
the  preceding  chapter. 

Not  only  is  it  true  that  children  are  frequently  reported  for 
more  than  one  reason,  but  also  that  upon  inquiry  these  reasons 
are  usually  found  to  be  more  or  less  closely  intertwined  with 
or  caused  by  other  conditions  not  at  first  perceived.  So  inti- 
mately associated  are  these  varied  reasons  at  times  that  it  is 
difficult  to  tell  with  precision  where  one  ends  and  another  be- 
gins. For  example,  "poor  scholarship"  may  be  really  due  to 
"misconduct",  "irregular  attendance",  or  "adverse  home  con- 
ditions"; or  "misconduct"  and  "irregular  attendance"  may  be 
the  outgrowth  of  "maladjustment  in  scholarship"  or  of  "poor 
health".  The  possible  combinations  are  so  numerous  as  to 
make  a  comprehensive  description  of  them  bewildering  unless 
a  simple  grouping  is  employed.  For  this  reason  the  following 
classification  will  be  used : 

i.  Maladjustment  in  Scholarship. 

2.  Adverse  Home  Conditions. 

3.  Behavior  Problems  and  Prevention  of  Delinquency. 

4.  Leaving  School  Prematurely. 

This  grouping  indicates  those  phases  of  the  work  which 
were  most  emphasized  by  the  visiting  teachers  in  the  reports, 
stories,  published  articles,  etc.,  submitted  to  the  committee  in 

27 


the  course  of  the  inquiry  and  comprises  summaries  and  illus- 
trations of  the  various  types  of  cases  the  visiting  teacher 
handles. 

i.     MALADJUSTMENTS  IN  SCHOLARSHIP 

Cnildren  The  foregoing  statistics  show  that  by  far 

Deficient  in  the    iargest    number    of    children    "malad- 

justed in  scholarship'*  are  referred  for 
"deficiency  in  lessons".  This  group  includes  the  child  whose 
previous  record  is  not  necessarily  bad,  but  who  at  present  is 
unaccountably  doing  poor  work.  The  majority  of  such  cases 
have  a  cause  which  may  be  removed  if  discovered  in  time. 
The  visiting  teacher  by  early  inquiry  into  these  cases  is  "get- 
ting ahead  of  retardation",  and  fulfilling  her  preventive  func- 
tion by  keeping  the  child  from  repeating  grades. 

Among  the  causes  for  deficiency  in  lessons  due  to  condi- 
tions outside  of  the  school  that  are  most  frequently  mentioned 
in  the  reports  are:  After-school  work,  excessive  housework, 
exhausting  "finishing"  or  other  factory  home  work;  lack  of 
time  for  recreation,  rest  and  study;  lack  of  parental  control, 
leading  to  late  hours  and  bad  companionship;  indifference  of 
child  or  parent  toward  school  progress,  or  ignorance  of  child's 
class  standing;  no  place  to  study;  poor  nutrition;  unhygienic 
living;  neurotic  disorders;  nervousness  caused  or  aggravated 
by  financial  difficulties  or  domestic  quarrels.  With  all  these 
factors  the  visiting  teacher  copes.  When  she  has  discovered 
the  cause,  her  next  step  is  to  adjust  it. 

The  majority  of  parents  are  interested  in  the  child's  prog- 
ress, but  frequently,  the  visiting  teachers  report,  uiicicsi  nas 
to  be  developed  and  many  have  to  be  shown  that  some  action  or 
inaction  on  their  part  is  hindering  the  child's  education.  The 
experience  and  ingenuity  of  the  visiting  teacher  find  a  way 
to  have  the  store  "minded"  without  William's  help,  demonstrate 
that  "finishing"  for  school  children  doesn't  pay,  find  a  counter 
attraction  to  keep  motherless  Jennie  off  the  streets  at  night,  or 
get  an  uncle  to  help  and  encourage  Peter  in  his  school  work. 

Several  visiting  teachers  reporting  from  cities  where  home 

28 


work  is  still  required  find  that  home  habits  of  study  have 
much  to  do  with  failure  in  class  recitations  and  low  marks  in 
tests.  They  state  that  the  child  may  "have  done  his  home  work 
with  one  ear  to  the  family  conversation",  or  may  be  accustomed 
to  spend  all  the  time  he  pleases  on  lessons,  and  then  in  tests, 
because  of  his  habit  of  dawdling,  he  fails  to  finish ;  or  he  may 
depend  on  other  children  in  preparing  lessons,  so  that  his  mind 
looses  its  aptitude  for  independent  work.  Parents  see  no  harm 
in  such  sluggish  habits;  the  teacher  does  not  know  of  them ;  but 
the  visiting  teacher  discovering  them,  substitutes  good  habits 
that  tend  to  increase  mental  alertness,  concentration,  association 
of  ideas,  time  saving,  and  regularity  of  hours  of  study.  Even 
apart  from  the  gain  in  school  progress,  the  visiting  teacher 
finds  that  the  child  has  gained  in  method  and  character. 

Many  visiting  teachers  report  that  recreational  facilities 
are  not  available  or  are  extremely  limited  in  their  localities, 
and  that  "all  work  and  no  play"  has  produced  the  proverbial 
"dull  boy".  What  recreation  of  a  wholesome  nature  many 
communities  have  is  often  ^due  to  the  initiative  of  the  visiting 
teacher — in  organizing  boys'  and  girls'  clubs,  excursions  to  the 
country,  hikes,  etc.  Especially  among  the  foreigners,  the 
"children  have  actually  to  be  taught  how  to  play".  Out-door 
life  for  girls,  and  the  educational  value  of  games  have  to  be 
insistently  taught.  Through  the  development  of  a  healthier 
physique,  the  visiting  teacher  is  seeking  to  stimulate  her  lag- 
gard-in-lessons  to  a  better  all-round  activity. 

1.  Julia,  in  the  graduating  class,  was  reported  for  indif- 
ference to  lessons,  impertinence,  neglect  of  person,  resentful- 
ness  when  reproved.  The  visiting  teacher  found  she  was  the 
eldest  of  nine  children.  The  father  had  her  help  him  in  the 
shop  afternoons  and  evenings  and  did  not  know  how  this  work 
was  affecting  her  lessons  and  disposition,  but  blamed  the  child 
for  her  failure.  The  visiting  teacher  planned  alternating  hours 
of  work,  study  and  recreation;  the  father  agreed,  and  Julia 
promised  to  try.  Effort  and  marks  immediately  improved,  and 
the  child  graduated  with  her  class. 

2.  Boris  dropped  from  an  honor  boy  to  "C"  in  profi- 
ciency. The  teacher  and  the  mother  could  not  account  for  it. 
The  visiting  teacher  discovered  that  he  had  formed  bad  f riend- 

29 


ships  and  drew  him  away  from  these,  by  providing  new  and 
wholesome  interests.    There  were  no  more  "C's"  in  lessons. 

3.  Henry's  mother  could  not  believe  the  visiting  teacher 
when  told  he  was  deficient  in  lessons.  Was  she  not  giving 
her  "smart  boy"  Hebrew  lessons  for  two  and  a  half  hours  a 
day,  violin  lessons  for  which  he  practiced  two  hours,  earning 
the  tuition  by  doing  her  chores?  "Recreation?"  Of  course 
not!  "Time  to  study?"  Yes,  before  he  went  to  bed.  The 
visiting  teacher  recommended  that  his  occupations  be  cut  in 
half,  and  time  be  released  for  play  and  study.  The  mother  took 
the  advice  and  the  boy's  school  standing  became  satisfactory. 

Retarded  Adjustments    for   retarded   children    de- 

Children  pencj  on  trie  degree  0f  their  mentality   as 

well  as  on  out-of-school  factors.  Since  fifty  visiting  teachers 
report  using  mental  tests,  and  forty  report  special  classes  for 
subnormal  children  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  the  majority  of 
mentally  defective  children  are  provided  for.  But  the  border- 
line, the  slow  normal,  and  the  concrete  minded  are  harder  to 
adjust.  The  visiting  teachers  have  not  been  slow  to  take 
advantage  of  special  classes — trade  or  shop — or  modified  cur- 
ricula where  these  exist. 

The  tests  have  also  been  used  to  furnish  a  guide  for 
analyzing  the  cause  of  educational  maladjustment,  and  to  give 
"a  ready  index  to  the  child's  emotional  complexes".  With  or 
without  the  test  a  child  cannot  be  prescribed  for  off-hand,  but 
becomes  an  object  of  individual  study.  Through  her  study  of 
the  child's  failures  and  personal  equipment  and  in  the  light  of 
his  personal  history,  the  visiting  teacher  seeks  to  work  out  the 
cause  and  the  remedy.  Educational  tests,  consultation  with  an 
educational  psychologist,  observation  and  study  have  furnished 
the  clue.  Often  she  is  able  to  assist  the  class  teacher  with  sug- 
gestions as  to  special  interests  or  motives.  When  the  diffi- 
culty has  been  discovered,  a  little  timely  help  in  the  teacher's 
spare  time,  a  friendly  tutor  with  the  spirit  and  patience  of  an 
explorer,  or  a  change  of  method  or  approach  may  start  the 
child  on  the  road  to  progress. 

4.  Fred  had  been  four  terms  in  the  second  grade,  and  was 
to  be  advanced  to  the  next  grade  because  he  was  10  years  old, 

30 


although  he  was  not  up  to  promotion  standard.  He  was  rest- 
less, forgetful,  inattentive,  uninterested,  frequently  absent. 

The  visiting  teacher  found  that  his  behavior  was  much  the 
the  same  at  home.  She  secured  the  mother's  consent  to  a 
physical  and  mental  examination.  The  physical  examination 
showed  peculiar  defect  in  vision ;  when  he  got  glasses  his  "rest- 
lessness" ceased,  for  it  appears  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
jumping  up  to  see  what  the  other  pupils  were  doing,  and  was 
scolded  for  disorder  when  in  reality  he  was  trying  his  hardest. 

The  psychiatrist  who  examined  him  said  that  he  showed 
poor  visualization  and  recall,  and  must  be  taught  to  use  his 
brain  if  he  were  ever  to  succeed.  Therefore,  the  visiting  teach- 
er and  the  class  teacher  in  spare  time  gave  exercises  to  develop 
his  latent  mental  powers.  They  made  a  "fine  game"  of  re- 
membering, and  aroused  his  interest  in  increasing  his  score. 
They  applied  the  same  method  to  his  spelling  and  tables  till  his 
attention  controlled  his  imagination.  After  a  few  weeks  his 
teacher  recommended  him  again  for  promotion.  He  went  to 
the  next  grade  and  made  good.  "He  had  discovered  his  mental 
machinery  and  enjoyed  using  it." 

Precocious  Although  34  visiting  teachers  report  that 

Children  precocious   children   are  referred   to   them, 

only  a  few  report  that  they  play  any  important  part  in  their 
work.  However,  the  "retarded  precocious"  child  has  only  re- 
cently begun  to  come  into  his  own;  and  the  fact  that  children 
are  not  referred  to  the  visiting  teacher  as  precocious  has  not 
deterred  her  from  finding  them  out.  The  following  stories 
illustrate  how  she  discovers  them,  and  the  advantage  the  dis- 
covery plays  in  their  lives : 

5.  William  had  been  one  year,  nine  months  in  a  4 A  class 
when  he  was  referred  to  the  visiting  teacher.  He  had  behaved 
atrociously  in  school,  been  expelled  for  a  furious  outburst  of 
temper ;  had  broken  a  shop  window,  and  been  taken  to  the  Chil- 
dren's Court.  His  widowed  mother,  with  scant  income  and  9 
children,  welcomed  the  visiting  teacher's  interest  and  investiga- 
tion of  her  difficult  boy.  The  visiting  teacher  gave  William  a 
Terman  Test,  and  he  surprised  her  with  an  intelligence  quo- 
tient of  140!  With  this  information  she  accompanied  him 
back  to  court,  and  when  the  judge  asked  her  for  her  recom- 
mendations in  the  case,  she  suggested  that  he  be  sentenced  to 
"hard  intellectual  labor  in  a  rapid-advance  5A  class".  The 
judge  pronounced  this  sentence,  and  William  started  on  his 

31 


new  career.  Although  he  had  to  travel  some  distance  on  a 
street  car  to  the  school  having  a  suitable  class  he  never  missed 
a  day.  His  mother  gladly  paid  the  carfare  out  of  her  income 
and  put  up  his  lunch  to  try  the  experiment.  He  soon  made 
good  in  lessons,  and  his  conduct  changed,  although  there  were 
times  when  his  exuberant  spirits  got  the  better  of  him.  He 
possessed  a  keen  sense  of  justice,  and  his  class-mates  elected 
him  class  president,  in  spite  of  his  shabby  clothes.  In  educa- 
tional tests  given  a  few  months  later  to  the  entire  school,  Will- 
iam stood  highest  in  his  group. 

6.  For  three  years  Sam  had  given  all  his  teachers  except 
the  dramatic  teacher  the  impression  that  he  was  dull.  He  had 
been  a  disciplinary  case  and  frequently  reported  to  the  prin- 
cipal. His  teachers  thought  him  feeble-minded,  but  when  the 
visiting  teacher's  investigation  showed  that  out  of  school  he 
made  friends  with  engineers  and  mechanics  who  taught  his 
eager  mind  many  things  about  their  machines  and  allowed  him 
to  run  engines  and  motors,  she  gave  him  an  intelligence  test. 
He  rated  so  high  that  she  suggested  he  be  advanced  two  grades. 
This  was  done,  and  he  immediately  began  to  improve.  There 
were  no  more  shamings  in  school  or  trips  to  the  principal's 
office  except  to  show  a  good  report  card.  Sam  had  found  his 
proper  level. 

One  visiting  teacher  comments :  "I  find  many  children  who 
are  reported  for  poor  lessons,  and  restless,  anti-social  conduct, 
even  amounting  to  their  being  'pests'  in  school,  who  are  really 
bored  to  death  by  dull  companions  and  lessons  too  easy  for 
them.  They  may  have  been  kept  back  for  just  one  subject  or 
for  conduct.  Their  teasing  and  insubordination  cease,  once 
they  have  sufficient  mental  activity  to  keep  them  busy.  Re- 
cently five  children  given  to  me  as  failures  in  lessons  were 
advanced  one  half  grade  after  my  study  of  them  at  home  and 
in  the  classroom.  In  making  my  recommendations,  I  took  into 
consideration  environment,  age,  grade,  intelligence,  and  personal 
emotional  tendencies". 

"Queer"  Children   mentally    peculiar   or   "queer" 

Children  ^ave  ^en  referreci  to  the  visiting  teachers 

without  apparent  differentiation,  and  through  hours  of  investi- 
gation they  have  been  able  to  get  the  right  slant  on  each  case 
and  make  the  adjustment  which  would  otherwise  in  all  proba- 

32 


bility  have  been  left  to  chance.  As  an  example  of  the  sorting 
out  process,  one  visiting  teacher  submitted  a  summary  of  about 
20  cases  from  which  the  following  brief  histories  have  been 
selected : 

7.  An  attractive  girl  in  the  graduating  class,  whose  writ- 
ten work  was  perfect,  had  not  spoken  to  a  teacher  for  over  two 
years.  The  visiting  teacher  sent  her  to  a  psychiatrist  who  diag- 
nosed her  case  as  possible  dementia  prsecox.  Under  treatment 
and  supervision  she  improved  and  is  now  attending  high  school. 

8.  A  girl  in  the  7th  grade  was  reported  as  feeble-minded. 
The  visiting  teacher  found  that  the  mother  had  minimized  the 
symptoms  to  the  examining  physician  and  persuaded  her  to 
return  and  tell  the  symptoms  truthfully.  The  doctor  diagnosed 
the  case  as  a  serious  form  of  chorea,  and  prescribed  absolute 
rest  in  bed  for  weeks. 

9.  An  unusually  prepossessing  boy  of  1 1  in  the  3B  grade 
who  seldom  talked  was  found  to  have  a  mental  age  of  4  years 
and  placed  in  a  class  for  mental  defectives. 

10.  A  boy  in  an  "opportunity  class"  whose  conduct  and 
lessons  were  "shocking"  was  found  by  the  visiting  teacher  to 
have  bad  home  environment  and  a  cruel  father  who  beat  him. 
He  was  also  mentally  two  years  ahead  of  chronological  age. 
He  was  advanced  two  grades  and  was  "skipped"  at  the  end  of 
the  term.  The  home  situation  was  improved  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. 

Even  in  schools  where  the  children  have  been  reclassified 
on  the  basis  of  mentality,  visiting  teachers  report  having  found 
children  whose  scholastic  attainments  did  not  tally  with  their 
intelligence  quotients,  and  whose  "physical  condition",  "out-of- 
school  influences",  "family  history",  "character  disabilities", 
etc.,  had  to  be  taken  into  account  in  interpreting  their  failures. 
Adjustment  of  the  adverse  home  conditions,  whatever  they 
were,  resulted  in  bringing  these  children  up  in  lessons  to  the 
level  where  their  intelligence  showed  they  should  be.  The 
following  history  illustrates  this  type  of  child : 

11.  A  boy  of  nine  with  an  intelligence  quotient  of  120 
was  doing  very  poor  work,  in  the  4th  grade.  The  visiting 
teacher  found  that  he  read  till  1 1  at  night  "any  books  he  found 
in  the  library."  He  rarely  went  out— "not  in  this  neighbor- 
hood !"      The  visiting  teacher  correlated  his  reading  with  his 

33 


lessons;  interested  him  in  out-door  athletics;  and  with  the 
mother  worked  out  a  vigorous  daily  program  which  left  him  at 
night  physically  tired  and  mentally  satisfied,  and  ready  to  retire 
early.  Interest  and  oversight  brought  this  child  up  to  the 
standing  which  his  ability  warranted,  and  in  addition  changed 
him  from  a  dreamer  and  laggard  into  an  energetic  boy  and 
pupil. 

2.     ADVERSE  HOME  CONDITIONS 

Unfavorable  home  conditions  become  the  problem  of  the 
visiting  teacher  because  of  their  bearing  on  the  child's  general 
welfare  and  his  school  progress.  The  class  teacher  may  not 
be  aware  of  the  real  situation  in  the  pupil's  home,  but  she  is 
keen  to  "sense  something  wrong",  and  refers  her  suspicions 
and  anxieties  to  the  visiting  teacher  whose  training  and  ex- 
perience enable  her  to  get  at  the  heart  of  the  problem. 

Inefficient  To   every   visiting  teacher  are   reported 

H°mes  children  who  come  from  homes  where  the 

mothers  fail  to  realize  why  and  how  seriously  their  children 
are  handicapped  by  being  sent  to  school  late,  or  breakfastless, 
tired,  untidy,  unprepared  in  lessons,  etc. — all  conditions  which 
can  be  remedied  by  better  household  regime  and  especially  by 
planning  ahead.  Many  bustling  mothers  are  poor  managers 
and  fail  to  provide  clean  clothing,  to  supervise  washing  and 
dressing,  or  to  train  the  children  in  hygienic  habits.  At  the 
last  minute  before  breakfast  the  child  is  sent  for  "rolls  and 
milk"  and  is  consequently  late  for  school.  The  mothers  need 
to  see  that  the  responsibility  is  theirs,  though  the  punishment 
falls  on  the  children.  Friendly  counsel  and  explanation  on  the 
part  of  the  visiting  teacher  often  serve  to  stimulate  family 
pride  and  responsibility,  assuring  speedy  improvement,  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  many  homes  must  be  patiently  educated  to 
change  their  attitude  and  adopt  wiser  methods. 

A  simple  adjustment,  as  in  the  following  story,  may  mean 
a  great  deal  to  the  child  and  yet  would  probably  never  have 
occurred  to  the  family  had  the  visiting  teacher  not  brought  it 
to  its  attention : 

34 


12.  Philomena  was  as  "good  as  gold"  in  the  class,  but  un- 
accountably poor  in  lessons.  She  came  to  school  every  morning 
breathless,  tardy,  unkempt,  looking  tired  and  dejected.  The 
visiting  teacher  found  that  when  not  engaged  in  "finishing 
coats"  she  cared  for  a  two  year  old  brother,  who  demanded  to 
be  carried  when  taken  out  for  an  airing  and  claimed  constant 
attention,  besides  confiscating  and  destroying  her  school  books 
and  pencils.  At  the  visiting  teacher's  suggestion  a  go-cart  was 
provided  to  relieve  Philomena's  back  and  keep  the  children 
outdoors  longer ;  a  strong  shoe  box  was  kept  on  a  high  shelf  to 
hold  the  school  materials  in  safety;  the  sewing  was  lessened, 
and  by  planning  ahead  the  child  was  saved  the  hurry  and  the 
tardiness  caused  by  the  morning  errands.  The  result  was  a 
happier,  straighter  child  and  a  clearer  brain  for  school  work. 

Overworked  Poor  household  management  also  results 

Children  'm  seri0us  over-work.     Girls  sometimes  have 

to  assume  the  burden  of  the  house-work,  and  many  children 
add  to  the  family  budget  by  after  school  jobs.  Where  real 
poverty  exists,  as  in  the  case  of  a  12  year  old  boy  who  con- 
tributed to  the  support  of  his  widowed  mother  by  working  all 
night  as  a  truckman's  helper,  retiring  at  6  a.  m.,  snatching  his 
sleep  before  and  after  school,  the  co-operation  of  relief  agen- 
cies is  secured.  In  other  cases,  divers  ways  are  worked  out 
to  relieve  the  child  and  provide  time  for  rest  and  play. 

Need  of  Child  The  parents'  lack  of  knowledge  of  child 

Training   (  training  becomes  apparent   as  soon  as  one 

visits  in  the  homes ;  nor  is  this  need  confined  to  the  busy 
housewife  of  the  tenements.  To  use  a  simple  illustration, 
many  a  child  is  punished  for  "badness"  who  is  only  expressing 
natural  childish  exuberance  which  in  crowded  quarters  is  more 
wearing  on  the  family's  nerves  than  under  other  conditions. 
In  such  cases  the  child's  need  of  active  play  and  various  other 
needs  of  his  developing  personality  are  explained  to  the  family. 
The  following  story  shows  the  reaction  of  such  homes 
on  the  child : 

13.  Archie,  13  years  old,  in  8 A,  was  reported  as  "D"  in 
conduct.  He  was  able  to  do  his  work,  but  made  little  effort. 
The  mother  had  been  sent  for  without  success.     When  the 

35 


visiting  teacher  stated  the  reason  for  her  call,  the  mother  ex- 
claimed "I  know  all  about  him.  I  can't  help  it,  send  him 
away!"  The  visiting  teacher  drew  out  that  she  was  irritated 
by  ill-health,  the  decline  of  the  business  at  which  she  had 
overworked,  and  her  "bad  boy".  Archie  had  refused  to  remain 
at  home  and  take  instruction  from  the  Rabbi.  He  owed  the 
library  for  a  lost  book  and  so  the  parents  had  forbidden  him 
to  read.  He  must  not  join  the  Boy  Scouts  as  they  "would 
make  him  a  soldier".  Everything  he  liked  was  forbidden. 
After  school  he  helped  his  father  in  his  shop. 

Being  naturally  fond  of  reading  he  spent  his  pennies  on 
the  cheapest  books  he  could  buy,  and  read  them  secretly  at 
night.  Consequently,  in  school  the  next  day  he  was  not  a 
promising  pupil. 

After  considerable  persuasion,  the  mother  accepted  the 
visiting  teacher's  suggestions  of  change  of  treatment.  She 
allowed  Archie  to  join  the  Scouts,  to  draw  books  from  the 
library,  and  the  class  teacher  supplied  a  list  of  helpful  books. 
He  had  "A"  in  conduct  next  month  and  there  were  no  further 
complaints.  He  was  promoted  at  the  end  of  the  term.  Fre- 
quently the  mother  has  exclaimed  that  the  visiting  teacher's 
advice  was  "worth  a  hundred  dollars"  to  her  as  she  had  been 
most  desperate  and  discouraged  over  her  son's  conduct. 

Broken  Homes  Reports  of   visiting   teachers   emphasize 

the  bad  effect  on  the  school  child  when  one 
parent  fails  to  function  in  his  care.  They  report  situations 
that  arise  when  the  father  deserts  or  is  shiftless,  when  the 
parents  disagree,  when  one  parent  is  a  chronic  invalid,  neu- 
rotic, insane  or  feeble-minded,  when  a  step-father  is  anta- 
gonistic, or  when  a  widowed  mother  goes  to  work  or  both 
parents  are  away  working,  thus  leaving  the  children  without 
proper  guardianship.  Or  there  may  be  a  taint  of  immorality 
in  the  home  and  the  child  himself  be  exposed  to  corrupting 
influences. 

The  visiting  teachers'  reports  show  resourcefulness  in 
coping  with  these  situations.  Her  personal  appeal  with  pa- 
rents is  strong  because  her  argument  is  the  advantage  which 
accrues  to  the  child.  She  enlists  the  help  of  members  of  the 
family,  relatives,  neighbors,  or  a  social  agency,  as  the  situation 
may  demand.     Although  the  family  may  be  known  to  these 

36 


agencies  already,  the  effect  of  the  situation  on  the  child's 
schooling  may  not  be  known,  and  the  visiting  teacher's  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  the  child  gives  new  light  to  the  agency  or 
suggests  a  measure  that  will  help  the  child.  Every  agency  co- 
operates when  the  child's  welfare  is  concerned.  The  visiting 
teachers  mention  the  help  given  by  a  great  variety  of  organiza- 
tions ranging  from  nurseries  to  homes  for  the  aged,  from 
playgrounds  to  desertion  bureaus. 

Occasionally  conditions  prove  to  be  so  serious  that  tem- 
porary breaking-up  of  the  home  has  to  be  advised.  For  ex- 
ample : 

14.  Alice  and  her  little  sister  were  both  jumpy,  scared- 
looking  and  very  secretive.  Mary  was  dreamy  and  apathetic 
toward  all  her  school  work  except  reading.  Neither  of  their 
teachers  was  able  to  elicit  any  explanation  of  their  occasional 
unkempt  appearance  or  their  state  of  mind.  The  visiting 
teacher  found  a  pitiful  condition:  a  refined,  young,  insane 
mother  with  persecution  delusions  which  had  caused  the  family 
to  move  so  many  times  that  their  furniture  was  reduced  to 
dilapidation,  and  a  young  father  who  had  taken  to  drink  be- 
cause of  his  trouble.  She  showed  the  father  the  effect  the 
home  conditions  were  having  on  the  development  of  the  chil- 
dren, and  persuaded  him,  though  not  without  difficulty,  that 
his  wife's  insanity  was  not  a  shame  to  be  hidden  but  a  disease 
needing  medical  care.  She  then  put  him  in  touch  with  a  society 
which  provided  treatment  for  his  wife;  and  since  the  grand- 
mother was  too  feeble  to  care  for  the  children,  helped  him  to 
find  a  good  home  for  them  until  such  time  as  his  wife  should 
recover  or  he  could  make  better  arrangements.  Obviously  to 
neglect  inquiring  into  such  undermining  conditions  would  be  to 
miss  an  essential  in  the  business  of  "fitting  children  for  life". 

Home  In  varying  degrees  in  different  places,  ir- 

Conditions  and         regular  attendance  is  referred  to  the  visiting 

rregu  ar  teacher.    In  this  field  her  work  is  essentially 

Attendance 

preventive,   and   goes    further   than   merely 

"bringing  up"  attendance.     Her  aim  is  to  prevent  the  evils 

which  almost  inevitably  follow  irregular  attendance :  retarda  - 

tion,  truancy,  "hating  school"  and  the  desire  to  "quit"  at  the 

earliest  possible  moment. 

37 


The  report  of  the  Teachers'  Council,  New  York  City, 
dated  October  1919,  reads  in  part : 

"We  need  a  campaign  of  education  for  education We 

must  educate  the  child.  It  cannot  be  done  when  the  parent 
believes  that  an  errand  is  more  important  than  attendance  at 
school,  yet  an  older  brother  will  not  lose  one  half  hour  from 
his  job  to  attend  to  this  errand.  . .  . 

"The  remedy  most  clearly  indicated,  is  the  VISITING 
TEACHER.  It  is  the  personal  method  that  tells  in  these 
cases.  The  visiting  teacher  explains  the  law  and  the  reasons  for 
it,  stimulates  the  interest  and  pride  of  the  parents,  increases 
their  intelligent  co-operation  to  a  marked  degree." 

The  above  quotation  brings  out  the  fact  that  much  of  the 
irregular  attendance  is  due  to  failure  of  parents  to  realize 
both  the  importance  of  regular  attendance  and  the  conse- 
quences of  irregularity.  This  is  especially  true  in  the  primary 
grades.  "Children  don't  learn  much  there  anyway",  mothers 
are  quoted  as  saying.  The  visiting  teacher  has  the  opportunity 
to  impress  on  these  mothers  the  effects  of  irregularity  not  only 
on  the  child's  progress,  but  on  his  life  habits  and  character 
development  ,thus  preventing  much  trouble  for  the  child  and 
the  school  later  on. 

Since  irregular  attendance  is  almost  automatically  checked 
up  in  the  classroom,  the  teacher  frequently  perceives  through 
it  symptoms  of  adverse  conditions  in  the  child's  life  which  are 
fundamental  and  of  much  more  serious  import  than  mere 
absence  from  the  classroom.  These  cases  she  brings  to  the 
attention  of  the  visiting  teacher  for  study  and  correction  of 
underlying  causes.  The  true  cause  of  broken  attendance  may 
be  economic  or  social  difficulties  in  the  child's  home,  a  neurosis 
or  a  maladjustment  in  scholarship,  a  misunderstanding  of  the 
teacher's  attitude  or  disciplinary  measures,  or  some  other 
school  problem,  which  it  is  within  the  province  of  the  visiting 
teacher  to  adjust.  The  following  story  will  illustrate  such 
cases : 

15.  Writing  of  backwardness  in  school  children  due  to 
irregular  attendance  in  the  first  grades,  a  visiting  teacher  tells 
of  a  boy  of  12  who  had  been  on  the  school  register  for  seven 
years  and  was  just  beginning  the  fifth  grade.     Here  his  ir- 

38 


regular  attendance  was  brought  to  her  attention.  A  study  of 
his  record  card  showed  her  that  during  the  first  three  grades 
he  had  been  present  but  50%  of  the  time,  and  had  moved 
frequently.  His  attendance  before  the  compulsory  school  age 
had  been  nobody's  business.  The  visiting  teacher  got  at  his 
real  reason  for  disliking  school.  He  knew  that  he  was  far 
below  other  children  of  his  age,  and  he  disliked  to  meet  new 
teachers  and  new  boys  on  that  account.  The  visiting  teacher 
analyzed  with  him  and  his  parents  his  school  record  so  that 
they  would  see  that  his  absences  and  movings  were  the  real 
cause  of  his  deficiency.  She  promised  that  if  he  were  willing 
to  study  she  would  secure  help  for  him.  A  high  school  neigh- 
bor volunteered  to  tutor  him,  and  drilled  him  on  the  arithmetic 
tables,  etc.,  that  he  had  missed.  Under  the  visiting  teacher's 
supervision  and  encouragement,  he  made  the  6th  grade,  studied 
in  vacation,  and  in  the  seventh  grade  stood  third  in  the  class. 
At  fourteen  he  was  approaching  graduation  when  he  an- 
nounced with  a  sob  in  his  voice  that  his  father  was  going  to 
take  him  out  to  work.  But  the  visiting  teacher  interviewed 
his  god- father  who  made  it  possible  for  him  to  stay  in  school. 
He  graduated  with  honors,  went  to  high  school,  and  he  is 
now  a  Freshman  in  the  law  school.  ,/ 

3.     BEHAVIOR  PROBLEMS   AND  PREVENTION   OF 
DELINQUENCY. 

Misconduct  is  reported  by  fifty-three  visiting  teachers  as 
one  of  the  reasons  for  which  children  are  referred  to  them. 
This  misconduct  usually  occurred  in  school,  but  it  may  have 
been  reported  from  outside.  The  term  also  covers  cases  of  a 
graver  nature  bordering  on  immorality. 

Misconduct  Every   principal   knows   the   amount   of 

in  School  tjme  Spent  in  solving  petty  thefts  in  school 

and  in  sifting  true  from  false  excuses  for  failure  to  live  up  to 
requirements.  The  cleverest  deceiver  is  apt  to  get  away  with 
the  lightest  sentence  unless  there  is  someone  to  follow  up  with 
a  home  investigation.  "The  loss  of  time",  states  the  Report  of 
the  Teachers'  Council,  New  York  City,  "to  teachers  and  prin- 
cipals, at  the  expense  of  normal  children  through  pupils  who 
require  special  handling  is  very  great. — Teachers  and  prin- 
cipals spend  an  undue  proportion  of  time  and  effort  on  cases 

39 


of  this  kind,  in  the  desire  to  give  the  individual  all  opportunity 
due  him.  The  burden  of  such  a  task  should  not,  in  justice,  be 
assumed  by  the  teacher  of  a  regular  class".  Many  such  prob- 
lems of  behavior  are  left,  after  the  primary  questioning,  for 
the  visiting  teacher  to  solve.  She  begins  her  investigation  in 
the  school  and  carries  it  to  completion  in  the  home. 

In  the  home,  children  give  her  their  confidence  on  their 
school  difficulties,  their  friends,  their  pet  ambitions  and  aver- 
sions, their  jealousies,  their  philosophy  of  life.  There  is  op- 
portunity to  make  plain  to  the  child  that  certain  undesirable 
conduct  on  his  part  brings  certain  results  in  school  and  home 
and  certain  reactions  from  his  mates.  Then  comes  patient 
follow-up,  constant  renewing  of  interest  and  stimulation,  until 
these  children  attain  force  of  character  and  the  habit  of  in- 
hibiting wrong  tendencies.  The  following  stories  will  illustrate 
the  visiting  teacher's  handling  of  misconduct: 

1 6.  Edna  brought  a  $20  bill  to  school  "to  pay  for  a  scout 
suit"  and  with  it  some  cheap  presents  for  the  teacher,  The 
teacher  doubted  her  story  that  she  had  found  the  money.  She 
had  told  untruths  before  in  defense  of  her  poor  lessons.  At 
home,  when  questioned  by  the  visiting  teacher,  Edna  still 
clung  to  her  story,  but  finally  admitted  that  she  had  stolen  the 
money  from  a  drunken  boarder.  Then  the  mother  admitted 
former  thefts  and  money  secretly  borrowed  from  the  grocer 
"on  account."  The  visiting  teacher  waited  for  the  father,  and 
got  his  co-operation  in  a  promise  to  eject  the  drunken  boarder 
from  the  tiny  three-room  apartment,  and  to  see  personally 
to  Edna's  ethical  training.  Although  the  parents  and  the  visit- 
ing teacher  watched  her  carefully,  there  was  no  lasting  im- 
provement in  either  lessons  or  conduct  till,  on  the  visiting 
teacher's  advice,  she  was  sent  to  a  psychologist  for  examina- 
tion. The  tests  seemed  to  reveal  Edna  to  herself,  and  she 
began  to  take  an  interest  in  her  own  condition.  Veracity  and 
arithmetic  both  began  to  improve.  Under  careful  supervision 
Edna  broke  away  from  her  bad  habits,  and  spent  her  after- 
noons in  studying  music  and  at  a  club  for  girls. 

17.  John  had  always  been  "old  reliable"  at  school,  and, 
though  not  brilliant,  had  earned  many  posts  of  trust,  but  lately 
in  his  graduating  year  he  had  become  indifferent  and  dull ;  his 
work  suffered  and  his  promotion  was  in  danger.    When  finally 

40 


he  began  to  present  frequent  excuses  to  be  dismissed  early  in 
order  to  attend  dispensary  at  irregular  and  unaccountable 
hours,  the  visiting  teacher  was  asked  to  investigate.  He  could 
give  her  no  very  clear  account  of  his  symptoms,  nor  of  any 
doctor's  report  on  his  case,  so  the  visiting  teacher  offered  to 
accompany  him  to  the  dispensary.  Then  he  admitted  to  her 
gentle  but  relentless  probing  that  he  had  never  presented  him- 
self to  a  doctor,  that  he  had  always  become  frightened  before 
his  turn  came.  It  thus  came  out  that  he  had  been  getting  into 
personal  habits  that  he  had  heard  might  have  dire  results  both 
to  his  physical  well-being  and  to  his  mentality.  He  was  thor- 
oughly frightened  and  humiliated,  and  had  reached  such  a 
pitch  of  emotion  that  he  was  totally  unable  to  carry  his  school 
work.  The  visiting  teacher  had  by  now  won  his  confidence. 
She  took  him  and  his  mother  by  appointment  to  a  private  doc- 
tor who  gave  him  information  and  wise  suggestions  on  hygiene. 
Immeasurably  relieved  in  mind,  John  took  hold  of  his  studies 
with  new  zest.  It  was  already  late  in  the  term,  but  he  managed 
to  graduate,  and  is  now  in  high  school  and  doing  well. 

One  visiting  teacher's  report  contains  the  statement,  "the 
visiting  teacher  must  have  the  personality  to  induce  in  the  child 
the  incentive  to  change,  and  the  social  vision  to  see  in  the 
weakling  and  the  erring — not  criminal  intent,  but  energy  going 
to  waste  and  her  opportunity  to  redirect  and  conserve  it  as  a 
community  asset.  She  must  distinguish  between  a  hyper- 
sensitive temperament,  a  neurotic  disposition,  mischievousness 
due  to  lack  of  proper  employment,  malicious  influences  from 
environment,  and  an  undeveloped  moral  sense". 

In  cases  where  the  visiting  teacher  attributes  the  cause 
of  misbehavior  to  a  neurotic  condition  of  the  child,  she  usually 
persuades  the  parent  to  seek  the  advice  of  a  specialist.  That 
the  visiting  teacher's  study  of  the  child  in  both  his  school  and 
family  relations  and  frequently  in  episodes  of  his  street  and 
play  life  has  been  of  inestimable  value  in  helping  the  psychia- 
trist in  his  diagnosis  is  attested  by  several  specialists3.  She  is 
in  a  position  to  observe  many  incidents  in  the  child's  life  and 
to  learn  much  of  his  past  history  which  the  parent  is  apt  to 
ignore  as  inconsequential.     She  also  sees  that  the  specialist's 


3  Mental  Hygiene,  July,  1919. 

41 


recommendations  are  carried  out  at  home  and  in  school,  and 
keeps  the  neurotic  child  and  the  emotionally  unstable  under  her 
supervision  for  months  and  even  years.  If  advisable  she  ar- 
ranges to  send  the  child  to  a  convalescent  home,  or  to  a  home 
in  the  country. 

Misconduct  out  Child  misconduct  out  of  school  may  be 

of  School  reported    by    neighbors    or    playmates,    but 

more  often  parents  come  to  ask  the  help  of  the  school.  The 
visiting  teacher  studies  the  child,  taking  into  consideration 
many  factors  including  the  fundamental  differences  in  per- 
sonality in  the  family  group,  the  clashing  of  temperaments 
which  makes  for  conflict  of  emotions.  She  studies  the  reaction 
of  the  home  on  the  child.  As  a  result  the  conversation  with 
the  parent  may  take  the  form  of  simple  adaptations  of  child 
psychology  or  lessons  in  habit  formation.  The  visiting  teach- 
ers' suggestions  range  from  showing  the  mother  the  mischief 
of  giving  Julia  pennies  every  time  she  cries  for  them,  or  "lick- 
ing" Jo  when  he  won't  eat  breakfast,  to  the  establishment  of 
good  habits  of  diet  and  hygiene,  and  avoiding  habits  of  con- 
trariness and  irritability  or  slavishly  doing  everything  for  the 
child,  thus  denying  the  child  the  opportunity  of  self-develop- 
ment. One  visiting  teacher  writes  that  by  showing  the  mother 
the  origin  of  one  child's  difficulty,  she  suggests  to  her  "how  to 
avoid  the  same  mistake  with  the  others".  Her  principal  says, 
"We  have  less  trouble  with  the  children  coming  from  homes 
where  the  visiting  teacher  has  worked". 

Prevention   of  The  visiting  teacher  must  often  confront 

Delinquency  problems  arising  from  over-crowding  in  the 

tenement  homes  where  frequently  the  male  boarder  is  found 
to  add  to  the  difficulties  of  the  situation.  It  is  not  easy  to 
maintain  very  high  standards  in  a  congested  neighborhood 
where  every  phase  of  life  is  found,  almost  under  one  roof,  and 
where  any  degree  of  privacy  is  almost  out  of  the  question. 

Frequently  the  dire  effects  of  such  conditions  come  to 
light  through  the  obscene  note,  the  suggestive  remark,  the 
questionable  picture.    To  these,  as  symptoms  of  unwholesome 

42 


interests  and  surroundings,  the  visiting  teacher  gives  her  at- 
tention. Her  work  along  these  lines  is  of  a  distinctly  pre- 
ventive nature,  helping  those  children  whose  unsatisfied  curi- 
osity or  love  of  companionship,  unwise  choice  of  companions, 
however  adverse,  or  lack  of  moral  training  is  tending  to  lead 
them  astray.  Sometimes  working  parents,  under  stress,  leave 
their  children  to  the  education  of  the  streets.  Often  they  are 
unaware  of  the  danger  until  the  visiting  teacher  brings  the 
matter  home  to  them.  So  much  helpfulness  has  resulted  from 
a  little  timely  oversight  and  advice,  and  a  redirecting  of  the 
child's  thoughts  and  activities,  that  this  phase  alone  of  the 
visiting  teacher's  work  is  worth  all  it  costs. 

The  New  York  Times  published  the  following  in  a  letter 
from  Franklin  Chase  Hoyt,  Presiding  Justice,  Children's 
Court,  New  York  City,  in  October,  1919: 

"I  have  been  in  close  touch  with  visiting  teachers'  work 
for  several  years,  and  know  that  many  children  would  find 
their  way  annually  into  the  Children's  Court  if  they  were  not 
assisted  by  a  visiting  teacher  at  the  critical  moment  in  their 
lives  when  the  sinister  influences  of  their  environments  begin 
to  destroy  what  the  schools  are  endeavoring  to  build  up. 

"The  most  effective  treatment  of  delinquency  and  crime 
is  their  prevention.  It  saves  human  misery  and  taxpayers' 
dollars." 

The  visiting  teacher  seeks  to  turn  the  gang  spirit  among 
the  boys  into  a  community  asset.  Many  adolescent  girls,  as 
well  as  the  boys,  are  without  suitable  recreational  facilities  for 
which  the  visiting  teacher  must  make  provision.  In  many 
cities,  the  visiting  teachers  have  found  it  necessary  to  organize 
groups  to  meet  the  need  for  healthful,  stimulating  interest;. 
Among  these  are»  found  scout  groups,  gymnasium  classes, 
dramatic  clubs,  dancing  and  cooking  classes,  city  history  clubs 
and  "evening  social  clubs"  for  the  girls  who  "must  go  some- 
where." In  some  of  the  smaller  cities  new  clubs  and  attractions 
are  undertaken  by  the  visiting  teacher.  In  Hartford  a  success- 
ful evening  club  was  organized  for  adolescent  girls.  As  an  out- 
growth of  her  work  with  individual  children  in  other  cities, 
other  community  needs  such  as  day  nurseries,  homes  for  neg- 

43 


lected  children,  social  settlements  and  scholarship  funds  have 
been  pointed  out  by  the  visiting  teachers  and  met  by  the  com- 
munity. 

Rumors  of  neighborhood  evils  that  are  affecting  the  lives 
and  morals  of  the  children  are  confided  to  the  visiting  teacher 
as  she  goes  about.  Then  she  sets  in  motion  agencies  in  the 
community  to  create  counteracting  and  constructive  forces  that 
will  safe-guard  the  children's  morals  and  develop  sound 
American  citizens. 

1 8.  In  a  congested  part  of  the  city,  Lucy,  aged  II,  was 
losing  her  interest  in  lessons  and  coming  late  to  the  afternoon 
session,  offering  as  excuse  that  "mother  was  sick",  but  her 
classmates  whispered  that  she  was  talking  to  boys  on  the  street. 
The  visiting  teacher  went  to  the  home,  and  learned  from  the 
bed-ridden  mother  that  Lucy  had  changed  since  coming  under 
the  influence  of  a  playmate  and  neighbor,  Elsie.  Lucy's  father 
was  insane,  and  her  brother  an  invalid  home  from  the  war. 
Lucy  escaped  at  3  p.  m.  from  this  dreary  home  atmosphere 
to  go,  no  one  knew  where,  till  she  was  sought  and  brought 
home  at  11  p.  m.  The  visiting  teacher  saw  the  necessity 
of  getting  acquainted  with  Elsie,  and  went  to  her  school. 
Elsie  had  an  unenviable  record  for  repeating  grades,  half  days 
absence  and  poor  conduct.  The  visiting  teacher  took  this 
record  to  her  home  and  questioned  the  parents.  They  were 
aware  that  Elsie  had  been  left  back  and  that  there  were  days 
when  she  had  not  been  at  home  as  well  as  absent  from  school. 
But  they  had  been  unable  to  find  out  where  she  spent  her  time. 
The  visiting  teacher  was  not  content  with  her  explanation  that 
she  went  "no  place'',  and  finally  by  careful  probing,  based  on  a 
study  of  the  record  card,  showing  at  what  date  the  child  began 
to  go  wrong,  got  the  information  she  was  seeking. 

The  visiting  teacher  communicated  with  the  Children's 
Society,  and  within  a  few  hours  they  had  put  under  arrest  a 
man  who  had  been  teaching  immoral  practices  to  Elsie  and  a 
score  of  her  friends.  The  man  was  convicted  and  sent  to  jail. 
The  visiting  teacher  took  the  children  under  her  care  and 
looked  out  for  their  recreation  and  companionship  as  well  as 
for  their  lessons.  Lucy  became  at  once,  when  the  friendship 
with  Elsie  was  broken,  a  better  student  at  school.  Her  mother 
lived  to  see  her  become  again  her  faithful  nurse  and  house- 
keeper. 

Elsie,  because  her  habits  of  delinquency  were  stronger, 
needed  careful  supervision  at  school  and  at  home,  but  the  home 

44 


co-operation  was  secured,  and  she  goes  "no  place"  now  that  is 
not  accounted  for.  Her  interest  in  school  was  aroused  so  that 
she  is  now  making  normal  progress.  Her  character  is  slowly 
developing,  good  points  long  dormant  showing  in  her  changed 
attitude. 

4.    LEAVING  SCHOOL  PREMATURELY 

All  sections  of  the  country  report  as  a  big  problem  the 
number  of  children  leaving  school  before  graduation.  Many 
boys  and  girls  seek  working  certificates  not  because  of  economic 
pressure,  but  because  they  are  discouraged  or  "misfitted"  into 
the  educational  system,  or  because  they  are  lured  by  the  earn- 
ing power  of  comrades.  In  some  schools  the  visiting  teacher 
investigates  the  requests  for  working  papers  before  the  em- 
ployment certificate  is  issued,  interviewing  both  the  parents 
and  the  child.  Frequently  she  is  able  to  work  out  some  emer- 
gency plan  so  that  the  child's  help  will  not  be  needed  at  home ; 
or,  where  there  is  financial  stringency,  she  places  a  member  of 
the  family  in  a  better  paying  position,  secures  a  scholarship  or 
financial  help.  Where  she  discovers  that  the  working  paper 
is  sought  because  of  some  maladjustment  at  school,  she 
straigthens  out  the  difficulty  through  the  co-operation  of  the 
instructors. 

Keeping  Many  children  would  end  their  school- 

Children  in  davs  Up0n  graduation  from  grammar  school 

were  they  not  persuaded  by  the  visiting 
teacher  to  continue  into  high  school.  Many  parents  are  mis- 
informed regarding  high  school,  or  know  nothing  of  the  ad- 
vantages open  to  those  who  have  had  secondary  and  college 
education.  The  visiting  teachers  connected  with  high  schools 
meet  with  the  same  tendency  for  children  to  drop  out  of  high 
school  during  the  restless  period  of  adolescence;  but  through  a 
sympathetic  recognition  of  their  difficulties  keep  many  from 
giving  up  their  course.  A  little  timely  advice,  extra  help  in 
lessons,  or  suggestions  for  a  more  congenial  course  of  study 
arouse  a  new  enthusiasm  and  throw  the  balance  in  favor  of 
education. 

45 


19.  Kate  wanted  to  drop  high  school  altogether;  she 
"hated  it  so",  and  her  parents  had  kept  her  to  her  studies  only 
by  a  continual  struggle.  The  visiting  teacher  called  upon  her, 
and  noted  that  she  was  very  shy,  made  no  friends  and  took  part 
in  no  school  activities  except  recitations.  The  visiting  teacher 
persuaded  her  to  return  to  school,  and  interested  two  of  her 
teachers  and  the  librarian  in  her.  The  latter  asked  Kate  to 
help  in  the  library  during  the  study  hour. 

Through  this  close  association  the  librarian  won  her  con- 
fidence, and  gradually  brought  her  into  contact  with  other  girls. 
Kate  is  almost  a  new  girl  now,  regular  at  school  and  happy 
in  her  work. 

20.  Jim  is  the  oldest  of  seven  children  of  foreign  parents. 
The  mother  explained  to  the  visiting  teacher  that,  on  account  of 
her  husband's  insufficient  wages  and  of  her  inability  to  go  to 
work  because  of  a  small  baby,  their  eldest  son  would  soon  have 
to  forego  school  for  work.  The  boy  was  therefore  planning  to 
enter  a  trade  school  for  his  last  two  years.  A  bright,  energetic 
boy,  small  for  his  age,  always  alert  on  current  news,  fond  of 
reading,  of  history,  and — according  to  the  mechanical  training 
teacher — not  at  all  mechanically  inclined,  was  to  be  sent  to  a 
trade  school!  It  did  not  take  long  to  persuade  him  that  he 
ought  to  go  to  high  school  and  then  to  the  university.  It  was 
presented  to  the  parents  that  there  was  no  reason  why  their 
son  might  not  study  law  or  enter  some  other  profession.  After 
the  visiting  teacher  promised  that  she  would  continually  keep 
in  touch  with  the  boy,  getting  him  part-time  work,  and  helping 
to  supply  books  and  other  school  necessities,  the  parents  agreed 
to  the  plan.  The  visiting  teacher  hopes  to  see  him  safely 
through  the  four  years  of  high  school,  but  even  if  he  should  not 
be  able  to  complete  the  course,  it  is  probable  that  the  additional 
study  will  secure  him  employment  more  suited  to  his  aptitude 
than  the  machine  shop. 

Vocational  While  all   visiting  teachers   seek  to   in- 

Guidance  spire  a   high   purpose  in   the   children   and 

show  them  how  to  attain  it  through  a  college  or  vocational  edu- 
cation, the  visiting  teachers  of  Chicago  and  Minneapolis  add 
to  their  other  duties  that  of  vocational  counsellor  for  their 
schools.  Adjustments  are  made  by  all  visiting  teachers  where- 
by the  boy  or  girl  is  placed  in  a  school  or  a  class  suited  to 
his  major  interests  or  to  his  special  mental  or  mechanical 
ability.      In   most    cities,   however,   vocational   guidance   is    a 


separate  department  to  which  visiting  teachers  refer  children, 
with  helpful  information  and  recommendations  based  on  their 
long  acquaintance  with  the  family  and  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  child. 

5.    PROBLEMS  OF  THE  FOREIGN  BORN 
Nationalities  As  a  further  index  of  the  character  of 

Vlslted  the  visiting  teacher's  work,  the  questionnaire 

also  asked  for  the  approximate  percentage  of  the  nationalities 
visited.  Twenty-two  nationalities  were  reported  by  48  visit- 
ing teachers.  As  will  be  seen  from  Table  VII,  more  than  23% 
of  the  work  is  done  among  American  families,  leaving  JJ% 
immigrants  of  more  or  less  recent  arrival.  Of  these,  the  Italians 
and  Jews  together  represent  about  47%,  and  all  the  others 
collectively  the  remaining  30%. 

Table  VII — Nationalities  Visited  by  Visiting  Teachers 


Nationalties  and  Races 

Number  of 
Visiting  Teachers 

Percent 

1.     American 

38 

23.33 

2.     Italian 

34 

21.11 

3.     Jewish 

33 

25.5 

4.     Polish 

24 

4 

5.     Colored 

23 

6.5 

6.     Russian 

20 

11.11 

7.     Scandinavian 

17 

4.16 

8.     German 

14 

small 

9.     Austrian 

13 

2 

10.     Hungarian 

9 

small 

11.     Finish            \ 

12.     Danish 

13.     Japanese 

14.     Indian 

15.     Irish 

16.     French            \ 

1  to  4 

small 

17.     Slovak 

18.     Greek 

19.     Armenian 

20.     Syrian 

21.     Chinese 

22.     Swiss              ' 

47 


There  is  an  apparent  discrepancy  between  the  percentage 
for  American,  Jewish  and  Italian  families  and  the  number  of 
visiting  teachers  reporting  these  nationalities  as  shown  in  the 
two  columns,  but  the  disagreement  is  only  apparent.  While 
actually  fewer  visiting  teachers  report  visiting  Jewish  and 
Italian  families,  the  percentages  of  the  Jews  and  Italians  visited 
are  greater.  Many  visiting  teachers  report  their  districts  85% 
to  99%  Jewish  or  Italian,  whereas  only  a  few  report  a  large 
percentage  of  Americans.  The  tendency  of  the  Jewish  and 
Italian  immigrants  to  live  in  Ghettos  and  "Little  Italy's" 
makes  the  school  population  for  those  districts  fairly  homo- 
geneous. Furthermore,  Jewish  immigrants  live  in  cities,  where 
most  of  the  visiting  teachers  are  located,  and  are  well  repre- 
sented in  the  schools,  since  the  Jewish  immigrant  more  than 
any  other  brings  his  family  to  America  and  endeavors  to  keep 
his  children  longer  in  school. 

The  heterogeneous  character  of  the  school  populations 
may  be  seen  in  the  reports.  Ten  visiting  teachers,  each,  work 
with  children  of  six  nationalities ;  four  with  seven  nationalities, 
three  with  eight,  and  four  with  as  many  as  ten. 

From  Minneapolis  one  visiting  teacher  reports  that  98% 
of  her  cases  are  foreigners,  of  whom  75%  are  Russian  Poles. 
Another  reports  76%  Russian  Poles.  Both  of  these  speak  the 
Slavic  language.  Two  others  report  a  large  percentage  of 
Scandinavians.  The  remaining  visiting  teachers  in  Minnea- 
polis are  assigned  to  districts  of  mixed  nationalities. 

Chicago  has  two  visiting  teachers  in  districts  largely 
Italian,  and  one  in  a  predominantly  Polish  district.  In  Hart- 
ford the  work  is  carried  on  in  a  population  largely  Jewish  and 
Italian. 

From  New  York  City  six  visiting  teachers  report  work- 
ing in  districts  predominantly  Jewish  (81-96%)  and  two  in  dis- 
tricts largely  Italian  (75-85%),  one  among  colored  families 
and  the  remainder  among  a  variety  of  nationalities.  In  Boston 
four  visitors  work  in  Italian  neighborhoods,  three  in  Jewish, 
one  in  an  American  district  (98%)  and  the  remainder  among 
mixed  nationalities. 

48 


The  visiting  teachers  reporting  neighborhoods  pre- 
dominantly American  represent  Minneapolis  (2),  Rochester, 
Raleigh,  Louisville,  New  York  City  (1),  Glen  Ridge,  Kansas 
City,  Boston  (2). 

Colored  Of  the  twenty-three  who  report  colored 

Children  families,  all  give  negligible  percentages,  ex- 

cept two — one  in  Raleigh,  and  one  in  New  York.  These  two 
devote  practically  their  entire  time  to  colored  children. 

"Americani-  Naturally  the  parent  who  will  most  need 

zatlon  to  have  the  American  school  interpreted  to 

him  is  the  foreign-born  parent.  Our  American  ideals  of  edu- 
cation, our  school  attendance,  child  labor,  and  other  laws  for 
the  protection  of  the  minor,  represent  a  different  point  of  view 
from  that  held  in  many  foreign  countries.  If,  as  is  too  fre- 
quently true,  the  American  schooling  of  the  child  creates  a  gap 
between  him  and  his  foreign-born  parent,  then  the  visiting 
teacher  is  the  first  in  the  field  to  forestall  this  disaster.  She 
brings  the  parent  into  sympathy  with  the  work  and  aims  of 
the  school,  of  which  he  frequently  has  but  scant  information, 
and  acquaints  him  with  the  developmental  possibilities  of  his 
child.  The  child  is  progressing  toward  "Americanization"  by 
much  more  rapid  strides  than  the  adult.  The  visiting  teacher, 
while  eager  to  preserve  all  that  is  good  in  the  foreigner's  tradi- 
tions and  consistent  with  our  democratic  ideals,  leads  the  con- 
servative parent,  through  the  needs  of  the  child,  to  realize  that 
he  must  live  with  his  child,  seek  recreation  with  the  family, 
enter  into  the  daily  life  of  the  child,  sharing  his  language,  his 
books,  his  companions,  his  aspirations  for  the  future.  The 
immigrant  who  despairs  of  controlling  his  liberty-loving 
American  off-spring  is  given  a  new  vision  of  parental  obliga- 
tion, and  the  child  safe-guarded  from  losing  his  respect  for 
his  "green  horn"  parent. 

A  letter  from  the  New  York  Principals'  Association  ad- 
dressed to  the  Board  of  Education,  New  York  City,  October, 
1919,  emphasizes  this  phase  of  the  work: 

49 


"Only  those  of  us  who  have  worked  among  our  great  for- 
eign population,  with  its  ignorance  of  Anglo-Saxon  traditions 
and  ideals  even  more  than  its  ignorance  of  our  English  tongue ; 
or  who  have  had  to  struggle  with  the  moral  and  disciplinary 
problems  that  are  rampant  in  so  many  parts  of  the  great  city, 
can  realize  how  important — how  necessary  the  work  of  a  visit- 
ing teacher  is.  In  the  home,  numberless  adjustments  can  be 
made, —  questions  of  law  explained,  America's  attitude  toward 
children  be  made  clear  to  people  who  have  no  faintest  glim- 
mering of  such  a  conception  of  duty,  aid — medical  or  financial — 
arranged  for  when  necessary,  investigations  made  which  enable 
the  school  to  deal  intelligently  and  humanely  with  individual 
cases — in  short,  work  absolutely  necessary  to  the  educational 
and  social  sides  of  school  life  done,  which  is  a  sheer  impossibi- 
lity under  the  high  pressure  conditions  prevailing  in  the  office  of 
a  modern  school.  Any  good  visiting  teacher  saves  her  cost 
every  year  to  the  city  in  actual  money  value." 

The  visiting  teacher  is  not,  however,  to  be  confused  with 
the  "home  teacher",  whose  work  consists  primarily  in  Ameri- 
canizing the  foreign  MOTHER  through  the  teaching  of  Eng- 
lish and  other  means  at  her  command,  whereas  the  visiting 
teacher  is  concerned  with  the  school  CHILD  and  the  adjust- 
ment of  his  problems  in  or  out  of  school. 

6.    SUMMARY  OF  THE  GENERAL  MEASURES  USED 
IN  REMEDYING  CONDITIONS 

Measures  Used  In  addition  to  the  concrete  description  of 

in  General  specific  cases  as  outlined  in  the   preceding 

pages,  the  visiting  teachers  were  asked  to  summarize  the  gen- 
eral measures  used  in  remedying  conditions  and  to  indicate 
which  were  found  most  helpful  and  which  were  used  most 
frequently.  The  answers  to  this  inquiry  are  given  in 
Table  VIII. 

Of  the  sixty  mentioning  personal  influence,  forty-five 
visiting  teachers  lay  stress  on  this  as  an  important  means  of 
making  adjustments  in  the  lives  of  individual  children.  They 
cite  the  child  who  is  "bewildered  by  his  failure,"  or  "deadened 
by  the  lack  of  personal  interest  in  a  large  school",  or  "hyper- 
sensitive to  fancied  wrong  and  finding  himself  in  the  position 

50 


where  a  'feller  needs  a  friend'  ".  Many  of  the  trying  habits 
that  distress  the  teacher  and  discourage  the  mother  are  elimi- 
nated when  the  child  finds  that  somebody  "thought  enough  of 
me  to  come  to  my  house",  and  point  the  better  way. 

Table  VIII — Summary  of  Measures  Used 


Measures  Used 

Affirmative  Answers 

1. 

Personal  Influence 

60  ^ 

2. 

Information  Brought  Back  to  the  Teacher 

60 

3. 

Cooperation  of  Outside  Agencies 

56 

4. 

Physical  Examination 

56 

5. 

Mental   Examination 

50 

6. 

Financial  Relief4 

50 

7. 

Recreation 

45 

8. 

Change  of  School  Recommended 

44 

9. 

Change  of  Interest 

42 

10. 

Change  of  Class  Recommended 

41 

11. 

Change  of  Environment 

41 

12. 

Referring   to    Society    for    Prevention    of 

Cruelty  to  Children  4 

40 

13. 

Change  to  a  Special  Class  Recommended 

37 

14. 

Promotion  Recommended 

36 

15. 

Demotion  Recommended 

30 

The  use  of  mental  examination  is  reported  by  fifty  visit- 
ing teachers  and  is  given  a  place  of  importance  by  twenty-four. 
Both  this  and  physical  examination  are  frequently  used  as  an 
aid  in  the  diagnosis  of  difficult  or  neurotic  children  or  children 
who  exhibit  peculiar  mental  or  physical  traits. 

Co-operation  with  social  and  other  organizations  is  re- 
ported by  the  majority  of  visiting  teachers.  Such  measures  as 
"providing  financial  relief",  "recreation",  "change  of  interest 
or  environment",  "protection",  etc.,  are  frequently  necessary  to 
bring  the  child  or  the  family  into  better  relation  to  society  and 
community  life. 

The  obvious  importance  of  bringing  back  information  to 
the  teacher  has  already  been  discussed  and  needs  no  further 
elaboration. 


*  Two  agencies  frequently  used  where  specially  asked  for. 


51 


The  order  of  frequencies  of  use  of  these  measures  was 
found  to  be  as  follows:  "personal  influence,"  "information 
brought  to  teacher",  "securing  co-operation  of  social  agencies", 
"physical  examination",  "securing  financial  relief",  "mental 
examination",  "change  of  interest",  "change  of  environment", 
"recreation",  "recommendation  for  special  class",  "demotion", 
"promotion",  "change  of  class  or  school"  (to  special,  trade, 
and  other  schools),  and  "referring  to  Society  for  Prevention 
of  Cruelty  to  Children". 

Measures  Used  As  scholarship  cases  were  so  frequent  in 

in  Scholarship  occurrence,  a  separate  inquiry  was  made  as 

CaSeS  *  4-U  J        X 

to  the  measures  used  to  overcome  poor 
scholarship.  In  addition  to  "securing  the  co-operation  of  the 
teacher"  and  "of  the  child",  which  are  understood  to  be  in- 
herent in  every  case,  the  answers  given  are  compiled  in 
Table  XI. 

Table  XI— Measures  Used  in  Scholarship  Cases 


Measures  Used 

Affirmative  Answers 

1. 

Securing  Cooperation  of  Parent 

53 

2. 

Stimulating  Child's  Interest 

49 

3. 

Bettering  Home  Condition 

48 

4. 

Bettering  Physical  Condition 

47 

5. 

Securing  Recreation 

42 

6. 

Use  of  Mental  Tests 

40 

7. 

Securing  Help  with  Lessons 

38 

8. 

Through  Promotion  Suited  to  Mentality 

35 

9. 

Through  Demotion  Suited  to  Mentality 

27 

In  these  answers  great  stress  is  laid  on  securing  the  co- 
operation of  parents  and  on  stimulating  the  interest  of  the 
child,  as  these  two  measures  are  used  no  matter  what  other 
means  may  be  employed.  The  replies  from  New  York  City 
and  Hartford  are  quite  uniform  in  stating  that  all  of  the 
foregoing  measures   are   utilized.      Other  measures    reported 

52 


by  individuals,  and  not  listed  above,  are  "change  of  the  course 
of  study  or  program",  "placing  in  nutrition  class",  and  "secu- 
ring part-time  jobs". 

The  visiting  teachers  were  asked  to  list  these  measures  in 
the  order  of  the  frequency  of  their  use.  "Co-operation  of 
parents"  proved  to  be  first  in  frequency  of  use,  followed  in 
turn  by  "physical  examination",  "stimulating  interest",  "bet- 
tering home  conditions",  "securing  help  with  lessons",  (through 
the  school  or  outside),  "mental  examination",  "recreation", 
"promotion  suited  to  mentality",  and  "demotion  suited  to 
mentality". 


S3 


VI 

What  Qualifications  are  Essential  for'j 
Visiting  Teachers 

IN  A  FIELD  OF  WORK  so  new  as  that  of  the  visiting 
teacher  it  is  to  be  expected  that  no  specialized  line  of 
preparation  will  have  been  developed  but  that  those 
entering  it  will  have  been  drawn  from  various  branches  of 
teaching  and  social  work.  The  questionnaire,  therefore,  in- 
cluded several  questions  regarding  preparation,  in  the  hope 
of  finding  out  what,  if  any,  common  elements  were  repre- 
sented in  the  visiting  teachers'  previous  training  and  ex- 
perience and,  also,  of  formulating  recommendations  for  the 
training  of  future  visiting  teachers  based  on  these  common 
factors  and  the  visiting  teachers'  estimate  of  the  relative 
value  of  various  phases  of  their  own  preparation. 

In  answering  the  question,  "What  was  your  training 
and  preparation  for  this  work?"  the  visiting  teachers  have 
evidently  assumed  that  only  that  part  of  their  preparation 
was  desired  which  had  a  direct  bearing  on  the  work.  Hence 
the  summary  does  not  pretend  to  be  a  complete  account 
of  their  preparation  but  only  of  the  education  and  ex- 
perience which  prepared  them  directly  for  this  work. 

Educational  Of    the    fifty-eight    replying,  twenty- 

Training  three  visiting  teachers  state  that  they  hold 

college  degrees,  sixteen  the  degree  A.B.,  five  B.S.,  one  A.M., 
and  one  Ph.B.  Seventeen  mention  training  for  teaching  in 
normal  schools,  kindergarten  training  schools,  etc. 

54 


The  appended  list  shows  the  institutions  represented 
Universities 


Chicago 
Clark 
Columbia 
Iowa 


Barnard 
Bryn  Mawr 
Simmons 
Smith 


Colleges 


Minnesota 
Nebraska 
New  York 
Vermont 


Teachers 

Vassar 

Wells 


Nineteen  mention  special  courses  supplementary  to  the 
above  or  toward  a  higher  degree.  These  additional  courses 
include :  psychology — general,  abnormal,  educational,  of  the 
child,  of  atypical  children,  of  delinquency — psychiatry,  psy- 
cho-analysis, mental  hygiene,  mental  tests  and  educational 
measurements,  child  study,  eugenics,  vocational  guidance, 
philosophy  of  education,  economics,  sociology,  social  psy- 
chology and  Americanization. 

Social  On  the  social  side,  twenty-nine  visit- 

Training  ing  teachers  reported  special  training  at 

schools  for  social  work.  The  Boston  School  for  Social 
Work,  the  Chicago  School  of  Civics,  and  the  New  York 
School  for  Social  Work  were  those  most  frequently  repre- 
sented. 

Experience  Thirty-two  visiting  teachers  mentioned 

teaching  experience  in  elementary  or  high 
schools.  Three  were  formerly  principals  and  one  was  a 
superintendent.  Forty-five  mentioned  experience  in  social 
work  which  represented  widely  different  fields,  including 
public  and  associated  charities,  child  labor,  industrial  wel- 
fare, settlements,  recreational  work  in  connection  with 
clubs,  etc.,  juvenile  courts,  travellers  aid,  department  of 
labor,  public  health,  Consumer's  League,  neighborhood  and 
church  centres,  war  work,  social  service  nursing  and  various 
forms  of  visiting  school  children  such  as  visiting  housekeeper. 


55 


Preparation  In  the  replies  to  the  question,  "What 

Found  Helpful  part  Qf  vour  preparation  have  you  found 
most  helpful?",  the  special  courses  were  mentioned  far  more 
frequently  than  the  normal  training  or  college  work.  This 
might  indicate,  in  part  at  least,  that  the  latter  was  taken 
for  granted  as  a  foundation  for  the  more  highly  specialized 
visiting  teacher  work.  In  the  courses  mentioned  as  espe- 
cially helpful,  psychology  in  all  its  branches  headed  the  -list. 
Then  came:  sociology,  mental  abnormalities  and  mental 
testing,  dietetics,  biology,  medical  knowledge  and  acquaint- 
ance with  industrial  conditions,  especially  for  those  whose 
work  includes  vocational  guidance.  In  their  social  training, 
special  mention  was  made  of  case  work,  acquaintance  with 
social  agencies,  and  mental  hygiene. 

Every  visiting  teacher  will  encounter  the  social  prob- 
lems early  in  her  service  to  the  schools,  and  her  social 
experience  will  aid  her  in  coping  with  them ;  but  the  special 
problems  which  gradually  sift  down  to  her  on  longer  ac- 
quaintance with  the  school — the  disciplinary,  emotional, 
neurotic,  temperamental  children, — will  require  a  different 
skill  and  knowledge  in  handling.  These  are  essentially 
school  problems,  and  while  other  agencies  may  help,  the 
solution  requires  a  psychological  analysis  by  the  visiting 
teacher.  Hence — in  answer  to  the  question  "What  addi- 
tional training  or  experience  have  you  found  you  needed?" 
the  answer  most  frequently  given  was  the  study  of  psycho- 
logy in  its  various  branches,  or  of  allied  subjects,  including 
mental  testing,  psycho-analysis,  mental  hygiene,  and 
psychiatry — that  is  such  courses  as  are  not  usually  pursued 
in  an  under-graduate  college  or  normal  course.  Because  of 
the  variety  in  the  work,  no  knowledge  comes  amiss,  and  the 
fact  that  over  half  the  visiting  teachers  mention  the  need  of 
such  courses  in  addition  to  whatever  preparation  they  had 
when  they  undertook  the  work,  speaks  strongly  in  favor  of 
including  these  studies  in  the  training  of  future  visiting 
teachers.  Those  visiting  teachers  whose  work  includes  vo- 
cational guidance  have  mentioned  courses  along  this  line. 

56 


Foreign  languages  have  been  found  a  necessity  by 
many,  and  those  who  have  a  speaking  knowledge  of  Slavic, 
Yiddish,  Italian,  or  Polish  have  found  the  language  a  great 
asset.  With  the  exception  of  the  Yiddish  speaking,  the 
other  three  peoples  are  as  a  rule  slow  to  learn  English,  and 
express  themselves  more  freely  in  their  native  tongue  when 
in  intimate  conversation  with  the  visiting  teacher.  Even  a 
superficial  knowledge  of  a  foreign  language  will  help  the 
visiting  teacher  when  finding  her  way  in  a  foreign  neigh- 
borhood  and  make  her  purpose  understood. 

As  additional  training  in  social  work,  several  mention 
methods  of  record  keeping  and  "more  case  work".  The 
almost  universal  desire  on  the  part  of  the  visiting  teacher 
for  more  information  along  the  lines  of  her  work  is  due 
partly  to  the  fact,  previously  referred  to,  that  she  is  still 
more  or  less  a  pioneer  in  a  field  for  which  a  definite  line  of 
preparation  has  not  been  worked  out.  She  has,  therefore, 
had  to  "get  as  one  goes",  filling  in  the  gaps  in  her  prepara- 
tion as  they  have  been  discovered.  Or  it  may  be  accounted 
for,  in  part,  by  the  fact  that  to  a  great  extent  she  works 
with  serious  problems  which  are  no  one's  else  responsibility  and 
which  present  "a  constant  challenge  to  her  resourcefulness". 
Her  educational  courses  as  well  as  her  further  experience 
help  her  to  add  to  her  resourcefulness. 

As  additional  experience,  six  visiting  teachers  who  had 
never  taught  mention  the  need  of  teaching  experience  "in 
order  to  understand  the  school's  point  of  view".  Several 
spoke  of  their  lack  of  adequate  experience  to  cope  with  the 
various  industrial,  vocational  and  recreational  situations 
confronted. 

An  opportunity  to  meet  other  visiting  teachers  in  con- 
ference was  a  need  almost  universally  felt.  In  a  work  so 
new  as  this,  conferences  are  of  signal  assistance.  The  ex- 
change of  experience  between  fellow-workers,  the  discus- 
sion of  one's  own  problems  and  difficulties,  and  comparison 

57 


of  methods  found  effective  are  of  incalculable  value.  One 
visiting  teacher  even  expressed  a  desire  for  "money  to  go 
and  see  what  other  visiting  teachers  are  doing". 

A  Suggested  In  the  light  of  the  preceding,  the  visit- 

Training  ing    teachers    were    asked    to    suggest   a 

course  of  preparation  for  future  visiting 
teachers.    A  summary  of  the  answers  includes : 

i.  A  good  educational  foundation  at  either  college  or  nor- 
mal school. 

2.  Special  study  in  psychology,  psychiatry  and  child  study 
in  its  various  phases.  Other  courses  as  needed,  such 
as  foreign  language  and  vocational  guidance. 

3.  Training  for  social  work  including  study  of  sociology, 
case  work,  industrial  conditions,  racial  characteristics. 

4.  Experience 

(a)  In  teaching — a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  un- 
derstand the  school  problem. 

(b)  In  social  work — especially  case  work  and  if  pos- 
sible varied  experience,  in  order  to  cope  with 
the  various  phases  of  the  visiting  teacher  work. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  in  this  connection  that  about 
one-half  the  present  visiting  teachers  have  had  substantially 
the  training  outlined  above.  In  addition  to  the  specific 
training,  the  answers  have  called  attention  to  the  necessity 
for  such  personal  qualifications  as  a  co-operating  spirit, 
spirit  of  service,  "a  consuming  zeal  for  the  work",  sound 
judgment,  patience,  tact  and  resourcefulness  in  emergency, 
maturity,  "sense  rather  than  sentiment",  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  and  love  of  children. 


58 


VII 

What  are  the  Fundamental  Characteristics 
and  the  Prospects  of  the  Work? 

AS  A  CONCLUSION  to  this  report  it  is  interesting  to 
note  the  answers  given  by  the  visiting  teachers  to 
personal  questions  on:    "What,  in  your  opinion,  is 
the  function  of  the  visiting  teacher  ?",  "What  part  of  the 
work  interests  you  most?",  and  "What  part  do  you  think 
needs  to  be  developed  ?". 

Function  of  the  To     the     question,     "What,     in     your 

Visiting  Teacher  opinion,  is  the  function  of  the  visiting 
teacher?",  the  replies  were  about  as  follows:  Thirty  be- 
lieved their  chief  function  to  be  the  bringing  about  of  closer 
co-operation  and  mutual  understanding  between  home  and 
school,  and  to  "home  and  school"  six  added  "community". 
Thirteen  stated  that  their  function  lay  in  studying  the  needs 
of  the  individual  child  and  in  making  adjustments  for  his 
betterment.  Two  emphasized  the  visiting  teacher's  help  to 
the  parent  as  interpreter  of  the  child  as  well  as  the  school. 
Three  felt  that  their  function  lay  in  community  improve- 
ment and  one  or  more  in  Americanization,  socializing  the 
schools,  and  "retarding  retardation". 

To  sum  up  these  answers — the  difference  seems  to  lie  in 
the  breadth  of  view  of  the  respective  visiting  teachers,  rather 
than  in  any  inherent  contradiction  of  opinion.  Wherever 
the  work  has  developed,  the  visiting  teachers  seem  to  in- 
clude in  their  view,  child,  home,  school  and  community, — 
and  a  summary  of  their  functions  would  comprise : 

59 


1.  Study  of  the  individual  unadjusted  child  and  his  prob- 
lem. 

2.  Interpretation  of : 

(a)  School  and  parents  to  one  another. 

(b)  Child  and  parents  to  one  another. 

(c)  Child  and  school  to  one  another. 

3.  Securing  co-operation  of  parents,  school  and  commu- 
nity in  the  interests  of  special  children  and  of  increased 
educational  facilities  for  all  children. 

4.  Adjustment  of  the  child's  difficulties  whether  the  cause 
be  found  in  the  home,  school  or  neighborhood. 

5.  Socialization  of  the  school's  point  of  view. 

Most  Interesting  The  answers  to  the  question,  "What 

Phases  of  the  phase  of  the  work  interests  you  most?", 

Work  .  .  . 

discloses  a  variety  of  interests   inherent 

in  the  work  and  indicate  what  it  is  that  really  attracts  and 

holds  the  visiting  teacher  to  this  work.    The  answers  were 

as  follows : 

NINE  found  their  chief  interest  in  the  solution  of  the  un- 
derlying causes  of  poor  scholarship  and  retardation. 
FIVE  found  their  chief  interest  in  the  adaptation  of  the 
school  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  individual  child. 
TWELVE  found  their  chief  interest  in  home  visiting — 
eight  because  of  the  possibility  of  making  adjustments  in 
the  school,  and  four  because  of  the  opportunity  of  effecting 
changes  in  the  home. 

SEVEN    found   their  chief   interest  in  preventive  work 
with  the  unruly,  the  misfit,  or  delinquent. 
SIX  found  their  chief  interest  in  preventing  children  from 
drifting  out  of  school. 

Among  other  features  of  greatest  interest  were  men- 
tioned work  with  the  precocious,  the  neurotic  and  the 
psychopathic  child,  the  adolescent,  the  atypical,  and  the 
mental  defective.  Others  reported  recreational  work,  nutri- 
tion and  diet,  obtaining  educational  opportunities  for  crip- 
ples, interesting  parents  of  the  deaf  in  the  new  methods, 
mental  development  through  physical  development,  and  the 
making  of  better  Americans. 

60 


In  brief,  there  are  two  underlying  elements  in  the  visit- 
ing teacher's  interest  in  the  work :  first,  a  scientific  spirit 
which  expresses  itself  as  a  diagnostician  seeking,  in  home, 
school,  community,  or  the  child,  the  cause  of  the  trouble, 
and,  second,  underneath  the  scientific  spirit  a  definite  per- 
sonal bent  toward  understanding  childhood  and  using  that 
sympathetic  understanding  for  the  adjustment  of  misfit  chil- 
dren. 

The  replies  show  that  visiting  teachers  have  not  been 
content  to  end  their  work  with  the  adjustment  of  individual 
children,  but  have  drawn  conclusions  from  case  work  as  to 
general  underlying  causes  and  basic  changes  which  should 
forestall  certain  maladjustments. 

Future  The  answers  to  the  question  on  the  fu- 

Developments  ture  development  have  differed  in  accord- 

ance with  the  varying  conditions  in  different  localities. 

While  a  majority  of  the  visiting  teachers  work  among 
the  average  children,  a  need  has  been  felt  in  some  localities 
for  specialization.  Cleveland  has  several  visiting  teachers 
doing  effective  work  among  classes  for  the  blind  and  for 
sight  conservation.  Three  of  the  visiting  teachers  in  New 
York  City  visit  for  subnormal  children.  Several  smaller  com- 
munities have  already  initiated  the  work  of  the  visiting 
teacher  to  aid  in  the  solution  of  community  problems.  The 
work  might  well  be  extended  to  other  special  groups.  A 
field  as  yet  almost  untouched  is  that  of  the  undiscovered 
precocious  children,  "the  leaders  of  tomorrow". 

Nine  have  emphasized  work  beyond  the  school  doors — 
in  the  homes  and  neighborhoods,  from  the  larger  community 
problems  to  those  more  intimate  and  no  less  complex  with- 
in the  family  circle,  such  as  "Americanization"  of  foreign 
homes,  education  of  parents  in  the  community  and  school 
needs  of  their  children. 

Others  have  stressed  individual  case  work  on  "problem 
children",  and  advise  working  for  earlier  detection  of  symp- 

61 


toms  of  maladjustment,  for  more  study  and  better  handling 
of  "borderline  cases"  and  neurotic  children,  including  more 
time  spent  on  making  personal  acquaintance  with  individual 
children  and  on  more  insistent  follow-up  work. 

The  replies  of  twenty-two  visiting  teachers  indicated 
that  they  had  found  the  "system''  unprepared  to  meet  some 
of  the  educational  and  social  lacks  which  they  had  dis- 
covered. Five  of  these  advised  working  for  more  "elas- 
ticity" in  the  system.  Seven,  following  a  similar  trend,  sug- 
gested lines  along  which  the  school  itself  should  be 
"socialized",  such  as  through  closer  integration  of  the  work 
of  the  visiting  teacher  and  class  teacher,  and  through  the 
introduction  of  social  service  courses  in  the  normal  schools. 
In  concrete  form,  were  suggestions  on  altered  curricula  for 
special  types  of  children — special  courses  for  the  dull  nor- 
mals as  well  as  the  feeble-minded,  more  vocational  training 
for  the  maladjusted,  and  adapted  curricula  for  emotionally 
"different"  children.  Visiting  teachers  saw  in  this  more 
flexible  system  of  the  future  not  only  a  means  of  holding 
children  longer  in  school,  but,  what  is  more  fundamental 
still,  a  means  of  reducing  our  present  too  large  output  of 
discouraged,  misfitted  young  people  unacquainted  with  their 
latent,  constructive  possibilities  and  much  too  well  ac- 
quainted with  their  limitations,  even  to  the  point  of  well- 
drilled  habit  of  failure. 

As  pointed  out  in  an  earlier  chapter,  the  visiting 
teacher's  place  in  the  school  system  is  still  comparatively 
undefined.  Up  to  the  present  she  has  been  a  pioneer,  find- 
ing her  way  in  a  new  field.  The  trend  of  development  is  in- 
dicated, however,  in  several  replies  to  the  questionnaire. 
The  visiting  teacher  is  coming  to  be  recognized  more  and 
more  as  an  established  factor  of  the  school  system.  In  this 
connection  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  some  educators  are 
saying  that  she  should  be  a  teacher  at  large  with  special 
equipment,  and  others,  going  further,  that  as  her  work  is 
closely  connected  with  the  administrative  staff  her  position 

62 


should  develop  into  that  of  an  administrative  assistant  in 
the  school  in  charge  of  investigation  and  adjustment  of  indivi- 
dual problems. 

While  the  visiting  teacher  everywhere  feels  herself 
allied  to  the  profession  of  social  work,  she  is  increasingly 
realizing  the  advantage  of  being  a  member  of  the  teaching 
profession,  sharing  its  burdens  and  its  aims.  It  must  be 
recognized,  however,  that  the  visiting  teacher  has  by  now 
developed  a  real  technique  of  social  case  work  as  applied  to 
schools  and  that  this  technique  is  only  acquired  by  training 
plus  experience.  To  expect  a  successful  class  room  teacher 
to  master  and  practice  the  work  of  the  social  case  worker 
at  the  same  time  that  she  teaches  school  is  as  unreasonable 
as  to  expect  her  to  teach  school  and  to  practice  the  techni- 
que of  a  physician  or  nurse.  Nevertheless,  it  should  be  a 
definitely  recognized  part  of  the  visiting  teacher's  function 
to  assist  the  teacher  to  do  more  and  better  home  visiting 
through  which  to  obtain  a  clearer  insight  into  existing  social 
conditions  and  their  relation  to  the  child's  reactions  in  the 
class.  The  teacher  and  visiting  teacher  would  thus  secure  the 
best  co-operation :  the  class  teacher  is  a  vital  factor  in  any 
satisfactory  adjustment.  It  would  also  enable  the  class  teacher 
to  handle  some  of  the  more  simple  adjustments  herself  and 
leave  the  visiting  teacher  free  to  concentrate  on  the  more 
difficult  cases  that  require  expert  dealing  and  need  to  be 
followed  up  from  term  to  term. 

Through  individual  cases,  fundamental  lacks  in  the 
school  system  are  frequently  brought  to  light  and  universal 
needs  pointed  out.  If  properly  standardized,  records  would 
be  of  great  value  not  only  for  use  in  case  work,  but  also  in 
furnishing  cumulative  evidence  to  prove  the  extent  of  these 
needs  and  the  necessity  of  meeting  them.  Further,  such  a 
standardized  record  would  facilitate  passing  on  useful  data 
to  other  visiting  teachers  whenever  a  child  is  transferred 
from  one  community  to  another  and  would  enable  the  new 
visiting  teacher  to  follow  the  case  more  intelligently  from 

63 


the  very  beginning.  While  standard  forms  are  desirable, 
it  is  essential  that  a  certain  degree  of  flexibility  in  their  use 
be  maintained. 

In  individual  schools  it  is  necessary  to  work  out 
methods  by  which  all  available  facts  about  the  child's  social 
background  may  be  brought  together  and  made  quickly  and 
conveniently  accessible  to  teachers  or  co-operating  agencies. 
One  of  the  developments  suggested  was  the  possibility  of 
assisting  the  teachers  in  making  social  studies  of  classes  as 
a  whole.  Such  surveys  or  studies  would  enable  the  class 
teacher  to  become  familar  not  only  with  the  social  back- 
grounds and  consequent  educational  needs  of  the  children, 
but  would  also  develop  her  skill  in  recognizing  symptoms 
of  maladjustment. 

One  of  the  most  important  next  steps  suggested  is  the 
extension  of  the  work  through  the  entire  system,  instead  of 
confining  it  to  schools  in  socially  or  economically  handi- 
capped sections,  to  which  visiting  teachers  have  almost  in- 
variably been  assigned.  Although  intensive  study  of  the 
individual  child  is  still  in  its  infancy,  visiting  teachers  have 
been  impressed  with  the  fact  that  many  of  the  problems 
with  which  they  deal  belong  not  merely  to  children  of  the 
unprivileged  classes,  but  are  common  to  childhood  in  gen- 
eral. The  extension  of  this  service  in  the  schools,  therefore, 
seems  to  be  an  essential  development  in  a  progressive  edu- 
cational system. 


64 


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